General Info

[Bubba Boy]

I'm a bit technology challenged and am wondering if I bring this phone to Rio on my next trip will it work for me? I'm guessing I need to buy a claro card or something to put in it? Is that all that I would need?

Any assistance and explanations would be great!

http://cgi.ebay.com/LG-C2000-GSM-UNLOCKED-Camera-phone-Tri-band-642-/280643078409?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item4157a18909

SKIt should work. Just buy a sim card when you get here and away you go.

[Prosal]

The entire movie (HD quality) on this You Tube video.

It might be deleted soon though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK2G44LkrDo&feature=fvst

[Grandnash84]

I'm currently looking at a condo to stay at next month on copa. Can anyone give me a run down of the posto's on the beach. The condo I'm leaning towards getting is in posto 6 and another one on posto 5. Does posto 6 have good nightlife? Safe? Info on the posto's would help a lot. I want to be where all the action is or very close to it. Link or anything. Thanks in advance

[Poucolouco]

I'm currently looking at a condo to stay at next month on copa. Can anyone give me a run down of the posto's on the beach. The condo I'm leaning towards getting is in posto 6 and another one on posto 5. Does posto 6 have good nightlife? Safe? Info on the posto's would help a lot. I want to be where all the action is or very close to it. Link or anything. Thanks in advanceCopacabana Postos (Lifeguard towers)

Posto

1 Copacabana Leme

2 Copacabana. Praca Lido Balcony Bar / Rua Prado Jr boites.

3 Copacabana. Rua Hilario de Gouveia Termas Monte Carlo

4 Copacabana. Rua Constante Ramos Near Pestana Hotel / Some Beach action.

5 Copacabana. Rua Sa Ferreira Near Favela Pavao Pavaozinho / Meia Pataca.

6 Copacabana. Fort Duque de Caxias Near Hotel Sofitel

7 Ipanema. Arpoador Beach Near Termas Centaurus.

8 Ipanema. Rua Juaquim Nabuco Some Beach action.

9 Ipanema. Rua Venicius de Moraes Near Gay beach / watch for raingbow flags

10 Ipanema. Rua Anibal de Mendonca Some Beach action.

11 Leblon. Rua Adm Guilhem

12 Leblon. Rua Aristides Espinola

[Sperto]

Propably not any useful information, but maybe interesting to some?
I thinks it´s interesting to see how the new quiosques grows up along Copacabana and Leme, and substitute some of the old ones.

The current situation is 68 quiosques, 36 new ones and 32 old ones. The majority of the old ones are concentrated down towards Leme.

[Bubba Boy]

Propably not any useful information, but maybe interesting to some?

I thinks it's interesting to see how the new quiosques grows up along Copacabana and Leme, and substitute some of the old ones.

The current situation is 68 quiosques. 36 new ones and 32 old ones. The majority of the old ones are concentrated down towards Leme. The new ones are very expensive. Only big companies can afford to lease them and I don't think make any money, it is more a promotional thing. I have heard it is currently R$350, 000 just to hold the 5 year lease, that amount just gets written off over the 5 years + rent on top of that. Adding to this the food sux at all of the new ones, all of them!

[Sperto]

The new ones are very expensive. Only big companies can afford to lease them and I don't think make any money, it is more a promotional thing. I have heard it is currently R$350, 000 just to hold the 5 year lease, that amount just gets written off over the 5 years + rent on top of that. Adding to this the food sux at all of the new ones, all of them!I prefer the old quiosques. They are much more genuine and charming than the new ones. I guess the new ones makes part of the new image of Rio.

[The Watcher]

Does anybody remember these boat rides? Do they still have them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt5CfDYtedQI remember those boat rides. I never went on one (not my style) but I know several people who did. They do not have them anymore because the guy organizing them was arrested.

[Sui Generis]

I remember those boat rides. I never went on one (not my style) but I know several people who did. They do not have them anymore because the guy organizing them was arrested.I don't remember thoses boat rides but I do remember the Tivoli Parque which was a mega amusement park on the shore of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.

It was inaugurated in 1970 and it closed down in the early 90's. The remaining equipment was disseminated in different attraction parks in other parts of Brazil (especially NoVa Igauçyou and Brasilia).

Actually on the site of the former Tivoli you can find Parque do Patins.

The last time I went there was in 1982. I went to the park with a garota. Grace. Who was working then in Erotika. We had fun. Too bad that this attraction is gone.

[Rio Bob]

After arriving at the hotel, I decided to get a local SIM card. There were a few stores a block or two in from Atlantico Ave. Claro wouldn't give me a prepaid SIM telling me I needed a CPF number and told me to go to the Central Police Station in Centro to apply for one. I decided to stop by TIM and they sold me a SIM card with my passport. There was a Oi SIM card store nearby, but I didn't stop there. The per minute rate for prepaid SIM calling is not cheap even for local calls, about R$1 a minute with free incoming calls. Both Claro and TIM stores had English speaking sales clerks which was helpful.Thanks for the good info, I have a trip coming up and this time won't have a cell phone to use so I may have to do something like this. How much was that Tim sim card and do you remember the cross streets where that Tim store was or anything close? To make local calls at. 62 a minute is not cheap, I recently bought a subscription on Skype to make calls to Brazil cell phones for. 20 a minute but still need a cell to receive incoming from locals. This will be first time I am using skype in Brazil, the reception is great in the US, how is it in Brazil for some of you guys that have used it before?

[Exec Talent]

Thanks for the good info, I have a trip coming up and this time won't have a cell phone to use so I may have to do something like this. How much was that Tim sim card and do you remember the cross streets where that Tim store was or anything close? To make local calls at. 62 a minute is not cheap, I recently bought a subscription on Skype to make calls to Brazil cell phones for. 20 a minute but still need a cell to receive incoming from locals. This will be first time I am using skype in Brazil, the reception is great in the US, how is it in Brazil for some of you guys that have used it before?Skype depends on the quality of the internet connection. My Rio girl and I use it all the time (including the video feature) and have never had a problem with her having only a 1MB connection.

[Sui Generis]

The entire movie (HD quality) on this You Tube video.

It might be deleted soon though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK2G44LkrDo&feature=fvstI pefer another Brazilian movie; Foda de elite.

[Albert Punter]

... I recently bought a subscription on Skype to make calls to Brazil cell phones for. 20 a minute but still need a cell to receive incoming from locals. This will be first time I am using skype in Brazil, the reception is great in the US, how is it in Brazil for some of you guys that have used it before?Based on my experience skype works well in Brazil, even in case internet connecion is not the best

[Rio Bob]

1999 Carnaval in Help:

They came in all shapes and sizes and everyone looks like they're having fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kPv-SBANwU

[Exec Talent]

1999 Carnaval in Help:

They came in all shapes and sizes and everyone looks like they're having fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kPv-SBANwUSome of those girls are still working! Also, for those new to the game, Carnaval at Help was one time management "relaxed" the dress code. Other times girls would be refused admittance if their outfits showed too much skin.

[Rio Bob]

Had to start cutting out the nudity as the night moved on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9rYz8xSux0


Part III

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHCcun609uo

[Torgoch]

Had to start cutting out the nudity as the night moved on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9rYz8xSux0

Part III.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHCcun609uoSangue Bon,

Thanks for that. I started going to Rio in the final days of Help (2009) and never bothered going. Looking back I wish I had. However, it is good to see some footage of Help in its heyday! Lets hope Youtube doesn't cut it.

[Bravo]

Had to start cutting out the nudity as the night moved on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9rYz8xSux0

Part III.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHCcun609uoCan you post up the video on another site with the nudity. I think 1999 was the last year they would let you bring in video cameras during carnival. I was there from 97-99 and I remember them stopping me at the door in 99 when I tried to go in with my video camera.

20 minutes later: I was checking out the 3rd video and sure enough, there I am! LOL!!

[Rio Bob]

Can you post up the video on another site with the nudity. I think 1999 was the last year they would let you bring in video cameras during carnival. I was there from 97-99 and I remember them stopping me at the door in 99 when I tried to go in with my video camera.

20 minutes later: I was checking out the 3rd video and sure enough, there I am! LOL! While part III still contains brief nudity I suspect that Youtube doen't inspect the millions of videos they receive. Also the videos are not public, you can only view it or find it if you have the link, so this should leave the public out of reporting something like this to the nude police. This video is only visable to like minded individuals like us. Maybe in my next video I will be more daring and allow a little bit more skin.

The reason why I made them unlisted was not because of the brief nudity but because in previous videos I put up I had former GDP's featured in the video contact me and asked me nicely to remove the video as they are no longer in the game and their families wouldn't understand why they were filmed in Help. So this way the general public can't see them, just us mongers.

You were there from 97? 97 was the first year I came back to Rio after a 10 year hiatus. Help was not even on my radar until I met a guy in Barbarellas and he told me he was goig to Help and why don't you come along because I think you're going to like it. We had a nice run.

[Sperto]

Maybe in my next video I will be more daring and allow a little bit more skin.Nice videos!

I havn't spend a Carnival in Rio since 1993. Some bailes like Baile do Flamengo, Baile das Pantheras and the Baile Adam and Eve used to be very wild. Specially the Adam and Eve Baile at Help used to have a lot of naked skin. Lots of bare breasts and many girls stripping on top of the podiums showing (and opening) their p*ssies.

I recorded quite a lot with my camcorder (Hi8) , but I never had time to put on my PC.

[Rio Bob]

Nice videos!

I havn't spend a Carnival in Rio since 1993. Some bailes like Baile do Flamengo, Baile das Pantheras and the Baile Adam and Eve used to be very wild. Specially the Adam and Eve Baile at Help used to have a lot of naked skin. Lots of bare breasts and many girls stripping on top of the podiums showing (and opening) their p*ssies.

I recorded quite a lot with my camcorder (Hi8) , but I never had time to put on my PC. These movies are VHS tapes, I bought a new gadget called Dazzle, very simple, plug in back of VHS player, plug in computer then copy to computer and make Mpeg.

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products / Dazzle / Dazzle+Video+Archiving / Dazzle+DVD+Recorder+Plus. Htm

[Beach Star]

Nice videos!

I havn't spend a Carnival in Rio since 1993. Some bailes like Baile do Flamengo, Baile das Pantheras and the Baile Adam and Eve used to be very wild. Specially the Adam and Eve Baile at Help used to have a lot of naked skin. Lots of bare breasts and many girls stripping on top of the podiums showing (and opening) their p*ssies.

I recorded quite a lot with my camcorder (Hi8) , but I never had time to put on my PC. Interesting how thes events were major, Everything to do with carnaval celebrations has been overtaken by the surge of 'Blocos'. Not an improvement IMO. Bailes are being made extinct, and the desfile at the sambodromo is in danger of becoming a fossil for tourists only.

[Rahsta]

Does anybody remember these boat rides? Do they still have them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt5CfDYtedQHey Sague Bon,

What year was this boat ride? That chick with the writting on her as that says something about love. She is at 3:57 in the video. That looks like Farnanda. She speaks real good english. She gain some weight now. If thats her that tattoo is fake because she doesn't have that on her ass now.

[Rio Bob]

Hey Sague Bon,

What year was this boat ride? That chick with the writting on her as that says something about love. She is at 3:57 in the video. That looks like Farnanda. She speaks real good english. She gain some weight now. If thats her that tattoo is fake because she doesn't have that on her ass now. More or less about 2001 2002

[Amerioca]

More or less about 2001 2002I remember being invited to several of those outings. Never trusted the guy who put it together, as I always thought he was sketchy. If I am not mistaken, it stopped after they got popped by the PM.

[Rio Bob]

My buddy is a pot head. A few years back he scored a bag of weed in Rio and minutes later her was "shook down" by Brazilian police. He had to give the police his watch and the money remaining in his pocket (40$USD) and they allowed him to could keep the weed.

This place reminds me a little like Thailand. A culture of coruption. Stick to prostitutes and alcohol. I was in Club Erotika last night on Prado Junior, besides the normal staff they had a private party going on, young good looking guys and girls, very friendly, they were smoking marcona openly, had a hit myself from one of them, took away the jet lag.

I left with one of the local gdp's. They also had a show, one part of the show was a drag queen singing on stage, he went around the room trying to get the audience to join in and sing, I was the only one in the audience who could sing with him Ney York New York, I went on stage with him and 2 other lovely young ladies from the party, I got a standing ovation, fun.

[Rio Bob]

I was out there about 6 months ago when the rate was about 1. 8. I never went broke so fast in my life. 3 girls a day? If they are all at 44, about 470 a day with drinks. If I remember, its about 240r for room and girl. Times 3, at 1. 65 rate, and you will be about 435. 00 a day. That assumes you get there early enough to not pay the entrance fee. Throw in another 30. 00 for drinks and you will need some big time cash. I remember the old days when you could have 3 girls there and you would be out about 150. 00. Anyway, have fun. Its only money. I wrote a trip report for my trip. If you do a search, you should be able to find it. I go into more details.I had lunch today at The Arpoador Inn outside beach side. Camerao Moceque Bahia style with 3 beers 145 reais, roghly $90 for lunch, can you believe it? It was good real good but this is more than Miami beach and I was there recently, it's expensive but this is crazy.

[Rio Bob]

I arrived yesterday, came down on American airlines business class, new direct jfk gig, left late but arrived 10 min early. Lunch at Meia Pataca pizza 4 chopps 53 reais, LOL. Went across to Ho beach met a girl who works at Centaurus. 3 hours in my apt to break the ice, what an animal sh was, fun time.

[LittleTruths]

Undoubtedly it grows but is it readily available and how is the quality. I'll be in the country for a couple of weeks.Readily available in every favela at a miriad of dope spots. Just ask about "Maconha" to any local (from the favela). Up to you then if you're the type of guy that'd walk up in the favelas or not, but if you are, there is not much to worry about as long as you don't act stupidly. Perhaps the first time you better get there accompained by a local, after that if you keep on coming back they'll know that you're there just to bring money and you'll have the green light signaled by a thumb up at every corner by the barefooted soldiers sporting only shorts and AK-47. It's not too bad actually, but admittedly not everybody's cup of tea. Be safe, and keep in mind that in Rio even if you're just smoking a joint in public any do-good Brazilian will put a distance between you and himself 'cause nobody wants to be taken with you in case the police comes over as that would likely mean being beaten to a pulp and / or locked up unless you have a bunch of reais readily available to sweeten them up. Everything is possible but you better know full well the game you're playing whatever your game is.

Bless

[Rio Bob]

Based on my experience skype works well in Brazil, even in case internet connecion is not the bestMy internet connection is 1 .9 mbps download and upload is .29 here in Brazil today. My skype is working better than I thought, pretty much crystal clear, thats calling land lines and cell phones in Brazil and same to the US. My connection is te US is 30 mbps up and down, what a difference.

[Rio Bob]

A little taste of Balcony last night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISa0xaVqJOs

[Sperto]

A little taste of Balcony this evening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSRwzP23ifI

[Gfe Finder]

A little taste of Balcony this evening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSRwzP23ifI

Are you sure that was Balcony and not Vila Mimosa? ;)

[Yankee 617]

Are you sure that was Balcony and not Vila Mimosa? ;)Speaking of Vila Mimosa.

http://www.npr.org/2011/04/18/135519259/brazil-aims-to-clean-up-image-ahead-of-games

Be sure to visit before its gone! (Article also refers indirectly to Help disco.)

[Exec Talent]

Speaking of Vila Mimosa.

http://www.npr.org/2011/04/18/135519259/brazil-aims-to-clean-up-image-ahead-of-games

Be sure to visit before its gone! (Article also refers indirectly to Help disco.) Now if they had asked Sperto his opinion, rather than some lame anthropologist from the local high school, that would have been an article worth reading!

[Sperto]

Speaking of Vila Mimosa.
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/18/135519259/brazil-aims-to-clean-up-image-ahead-of-games
Be sure to visit before its gone! (Article also refers indirectly to Help disco.)
"Live sex shows" in Vila Mimosa? That's not true.

Trem-bala:
http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showthread.php?2192-Rio-de-Janeiro-Reports&p=1098441&viewfull=1#post1098441

[Bravo]

All week CNBC has had live reports from Brasil, the shows were full of very interesting interviews and discussions about the Brasilian economy! (Seems like the brasilians are finally starting to admit that they are in deep shit when it comes to being ready for the Olympics). Anyway, one of the biggest topics that they kept hammering home was the explosion of the middle class. How within the past 5 years, millions and millions of brasilians are now considered middle class.

My question is this. How much does a family have to earn to be considered "Middle Class" in brasil? I was having a discussion with a co-worker on this topic and I said "I have a feeling that the American idea of middle class is greatly different than what middle class is in Brasil".

[Sperto]

All week CNBC has had live reports from Brasil, the shows were full of very interesting interviews and discussions about the Brasilian economy! (Seems like the brasilians are finally starting to admit that they are in deep shit when it comes to being ready for the Olympics). Anyway, one of the biggest topics that they kept hammering home was the explosion of the middle class. How within the past 5 years, millions and millions of brasilians are now considered middle class.

My question is this. How much does a family have to earn to be considered "Middle Class" in brasil? I was having a discussion with a co-worker on this topic and I said "I have a feeling that the American idea of middle class is greatly different than what middle class is in Brasil". Interesting issue.

Some sources says that half the population in Brazil are middle class. It sounds weird to me.

It can't mean that middle class are the average doctor/lawyer family living in a nice apartment in Ipanema, with a nice car and with kids studying at an university like PUC.

[Bravo]

Interesting issue.

Some sources says that half the population in Brazil are middle class. It sounds weird to me.

It can't mean that middle class are the average doctor / lawyer family living in a nice apartment in Ipanema, with a nice car and with kids studying at an university like PUC. Thats my question. What is considered "Middle Class"? A family earning 1500R a month, would they be considered middle class in Brasil? With the super high costs of everything in brasil, I can't see how anyone who makes less than 3000 reais a month in Rio gets by.

[Exec Talent]

Thats my question. What is considered "Middle Class"? A family earning 1500R a month, would they be considered middle class in Brasil? With the super high costs of everything in brasil, I can't see how anyone who makes less than 3000 reais a month in Rio gets by.I have been dotting on the issue of domestic Brazilian inflation for a couple years now. I just do not see how inflation in Brazil and especially Rio can be contained. I also do not see how they can contain the crime wave that will ensue. I am with a taxi driver this week who tells me he has had two motorcycles stolen right out from under him. They cornered him at an intersection, pulled guns on him and took them.

I stopped by Premier Hotel the other day and they said they were 100% full booking at rates of R$275 a day. That is over $170 a day. It is almost all Brazilians. I also was talking with a US Oil executive who says that his company just landed a new contract which included a provision that the workers had to be Brazilian. For many, like these kind of manual laborers, the World Cup and Olympic boom will put them in the middle class. However, I also am getting a lot of reports that retail shops in Ipanema and Copa are suffering because many of the middle class or their friends are going on buying trips to the US.

Getting a handle on Brazilian Macro and Micro economics right now is not an easy matter.

[Bravo]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704071704576277161593023004.html

SÃO PAULO—Brazil has aspired for generations to climb into the club of the world's rich nations. By one measure, that moment has arrived: This city and others like Rio de Janeiro are now among the world's priciest.

The big reason is Brazil's currency has soared some 40% against the dollar in two years. Add to that a 6. 4% inflation rate and Paulistanos here are suddenly shelling out the equivalent of $15 for a movie—more than New Yorkers.

Those prices reflect the conversion of the local currency, the real, into dollars. Brazilians earning local salaries are mostly insulated from currency shift because their incomes are rising relative to the dollar, but they, too, are beginning to feel the pinch of inflation and a hot economy.

Still, it is a staggering reversal from a decade ago when Brazilian land, rents and labor were all cheap in dollar terms. That made the volatile but commodity-rich South American nation enticing to adventurous investors and a sultry paradise for budget tourists. But a global investment frenzy for Brazil—and other emerging markets—is changing that by sending its currency sky high.

After climbing to 1. 57 per dollar this week, Brazil's real is near a three-year high, and Goldman Sachs says it is arguably the world's most overvalued currency.

The shift holds ominous implications for Latin America's biggest economy—and a cautionary tale for other emerging markets. As Brazil becomes more expensive in dollar terms, it loses the competitive edge of a weak currency in the global economy. Brazilian newspaper columnists regularly fret about "de-industrialization" as a strong currency makes local manufacturers uncompetitive.

Brazil's JBS SA, the world's biggest beef producer, says it is exporting less from Brazil because many international customers can no longer afford Brazilian-produced cuts. Meantime, exports from JBS's USA plants are rising.

The hitch is that Brazil is becoming as expensive as rich countries before it can truly compete with them. Converted into dollars, Brazilian workers are starting to earn developed-world salaries, even though productivity is lower.

For foreign firms, it often costs as much or more to do business in Brazil as it does in the USA, even though Brazilian businesses are disadvantaged with obstacles like bad roads, dismal ports, power blackouts, high crime and heavier tax rates.

High prices in dollars are a jarring contrast in still poor Brazil, where millions live in precarious shanty towns on city outskirts. Their incomes are starting to slip behind recent jumps in food, transportation and land costs, said Marcelo Neri, an economist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

Brazilian politicians aren't going to be left behind by rising prices. In December, Congress gave itself a 62% raise and members now earn the equivalent of more than $210, 000 a year, above the $174, 000 earned by their USA counterparts.

Examples of Brazil's new dearness are plentiful. The cost of hiring executives to organize Rio de Janeiro's 2016 Olympic Games is bigger than for the 2012 Games in London, said Odgers Berndtson, the firm that hired for both. Office space in Rio de Janeiro now costs more in dollar terms than midtown Manhattan, according to real-estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Adding to the problem, Brazil's mostly closed, heavily taxed economy have long made items such as cars or machines with imported parts shockingly high priced. A Honda Civic sedan in the USA costs around $21, 400. In Brazil, prices start around $39, 000 in dollar terms.

The trend is perhaps most evident to travelers arriving in Brazil with dollars in their pockets. These days, foreign business travelers commiserate over $16 caipirinhas—Brazil's national tipple—in disbelief that a typical night at Marriott's Renaissance hotel in Sâo Paulo can cost 50% more than a night at the Renaissance in Manhattan.

"I don't remember prices like this in my whole 40 years covering Brazil, and living there," said economist John Welch, who grew up in Brazil and visits São Paulo frequently as Brazil economist for Macquarie Bank.

For Mr. Welch, a key question is whether some of Brazil's higher prices reflect asset bubbles forming in Brazil's hot economy. One concern is that an overvalued real can lead to real-estate bubbles, he said, adding unpredictability to the economy.

(I have been saying this for months, the real estate bubble in Rio will eventually burst! I truly believe that within two years after the Games, that the prices of real estate will fall like panties on prom night!)

[Eric Cartman]

Thats my question. What is considered "Middle Class"? A family earning 1500R a month, would they be considered middle class in Brasil? With the super high costs of everything in brasil, I can't see how anyone who makes less than 3000 reais a month in Rio gets by.We still have 25 year-old engineers who make R$2500 / mo. Before taxes (take home is <$2K) but they live with their parents and they commute to work with their parents (Dad's car). Who knows how they share rent, but definitely there is a culture of staying at the roost longer than in other countries.

I'd say it's costing me 2x as much to live in Copa than it cost me to live the same quality of life in Brentwood / LA, USA. Which is one of the highest-income neighborhoods in LA (#1 language after English is Farsi). And that's without a car here in Rio. R$5K rent, R$500 electric bill each month, R$50 gas, R$120 NET bill (for shitty 10MB / 80GB cap) , R$200 / week cleaning lady, not to mention the daily food costs (R$30 lunches at Siq. Grill) , and other costs. Don't get me started on mobile phones. I have to go buy new sneakers tomorrow which should be a painful education.

I seriously don't know how most people hack it. And I am constantly surprised that the ready supply of $$$ does not drive more nubile young ladies to enter our favorite profession. I mean, if I'm readily throwing R$400 / hr down at MC, is that not going to drive more young women from the countryside to Rio? And shouldn't that lower prices? My macroeconomic understanding is getting confused by the current state of affairs.

-Cartman

[Sperto]

The numbers to classify which class you belong to varies a lot.

According to IBGE:
Classes (family income):
Classe A: Acima de R$ 15.300,00
Classe B: de R$ 7.650,00 até R$ 15.300,00
Classe C: de R$ 3.060,00 até R$ 7.650,00
Classe D: de R$ 1.020,00 até R$ 3.060,00
Classe E: Até R$ 1.020,00.
Meaning that you have to earn R$3060 to be classe média.

According to ABEP:
Classes (family income):
A1 - R$ 14.366
A2 - R$ 8.099
B1 - R$ 4.558
B2 - R$ 2.327
C1- R$ 1.391
C2 - R$ 933
D - R$ 618
E - R$ 403
Meaning that you have to earn R$933 to be classe média.
IMO a very low number. That's propably how they get half the population in the category classe média.

http://www.logisticadescomplicada.com/o-brasil-suas-classes-sociais-e-a-implicacao-na-economia/
http://economia.terra.com.br/noticias/noticia.aspx?idNoticia=201103221427_TRR_79582542

[Bravo]

I'd say it's costing me 2x as much to live in Copa than it cost me to live the same quality of life in Brentwood / LA, USA. Which is one of the highest-income neighborhoods in LA (#1 language after English is Farsi). And that's without a car here in Rio. R$5K rent, R$500 electric bill each month, R$50 gas, R$120 NET bill (for shitty 10MB / 80GB cap) , R$200 / week cleaning lady, not to mention the daily food costs (R$30 lunches at Siq. Grill) , and other costs. Don't get me started on mobile phones. I have to go buy new sneakers tomorrow which should be a painful education.

-Cartman5K a month on rent? You must have a palatial, pimped out apartment! If you can afford to spend that much on living expenses that you must be making a killing in brasil. I am almost afraid to ask what you do in Brasil as an American that pays you so much! And if you are making that kind of money, than there are some happy brasilians down there too! If I remember correctly, if an American company wants to open an office in Brasil, by law, they have to hire 3 Brasilians for every American they bring down in. Plus the Brasilians have to be paid the same amount the american is paid!

[Mr Enternational]

However, I also am getting a lot of reports that retail shops in Ipanema and Copa are suffering because many of the middle class or their friends are going on buying trips to the US.Ya think? I bought this thermos in the USA at Walmart for US$5 and saw the exact same one in the mall in Manaus for R$50. R$50 for a piece of fucking plastic?

[Lorenzo]

Interesting news item: http://m24digital.com/en/2011/05/11/the-court-ruled-in-her-favor-and-now-she-can-masturbate-at-work/.

I wonder if the courts would allow the same leeway to you guys who work in Brazil.

[Bravo]

I was hoping the board could answer this one for me. About how long is the time period between the k1 Fiance interview at the embassy and the Issuance of the Visa? Is the visa issued right then and there or does it take a couple of months? Does the guy have to go to the interview with the girl or can she go by herself?

My absolute favorite GDP is going for her K1 interview in June at the US Embassy. Unfortunately, I am not scheduled to go back to Brasil until the end of August. I really don't want to miss out on having one last long weekend of 5 times a day sex, (not to mention that she has one of the greatest asses to ever come out of Brasil!) If I need to go back before August, I will just bite the financial bullet and make the trip happen, but I would rather wait.

[Albert Punter]

Surely male workmates will get in line to assist her!


Interesting news item:

http://m24digital.com/en/2011/05/11/the-court-ruled-in-her-favor-and-now-she-can-masturbate-at-work/.

I wonder if the courts would allow the same leeway to you guys who work in Brazil.

[Legal Tender]

I was hoping the board could answer this one for me. About how long is the time period between the k1 Fiance interview at the embassy and the Issuance of the Visa? Is the visa issued right then and there or does it take a couple of months? Does the guy have to go to the interview with the girl or can she go by herself?

My absolute favorite GDP is going for her K1 interview in June at the US Embassy. Unfortunately, I am not scheduled to go back to Brasil until the end of August. I really don't want to miss out on having one last long weekend of 5 times a day sex, (not to mention that she has one of the greatest asses to ever come out of Brasil!) If I need to go back before August, I will just bite the financial bullet and make the trip happen, but I would rather wait. Take a look at visajourney dot com. It will be a great resource for you and I'm sure you'll find answers to all of your questions

[Bravo]

Well, to answer my own question! LOL! I talked to two girls who went thru the process. They both said about a month to 6 weeks after the interview, they got their visas.

[Genio Della]

Hi Guys,

I wish to have some tips, I am a software engineer expert in web and integration.

Architectures, I definitely decided to try to live in brazil I will have to find

A job and I saw there is a lot of request but I know that from outside, now I live in ireland,

It is difficult, that's why I wish to stay there some months and try to find something,

I just wanted to know if someone could help me someway.

[Bravo]

Hi Guys,

I wish to have some tips, I am a software engineer expert in web and integration.

Architectures, I definitely decided to try to live in brazil I will have to find

A job and I saw there is a lot of request but I know that from outside, now I live in ireland,

It is difficult, that's why I wish to stay there some months and try to find something,

I just wanted to know if someone could help me someway. The only advice I can give you about working in Brasil is to forget it! It is extremely difficult to work in Brasil as a gringo, better yet, make that impossible to work in brasil as a gringo! In 14 years of traveling to brasil, I know of only 2 americans to ever have a job in Brasil. One worked in Copa for 2 years for Lucent, the other works in SP.

Let me clear that up, I also know two other americans who worked in Rio, but they owned thier own rental agencies. John Thompson and Bobby! So 4 americans in 14 years.

[Genio Della]

Bravo,

I am not american but italian and I have a decent knowledge.

Of portugues, but I understand what you say.


The only advice I can give you about working in Brasil is to forget it! It is extremely difficult to work in Brasil as a gringo, better yet, make that impossible to work in brasil as a gringo! In 14 years of traveling to brasil, I know of only 2 americans to ever have a job in Brasil. One worked in Copa for 2 years for Lucent, the other works in SP.

Let me clear that up, I also know two other americans who worked in Rio, but they owned thier own rental agencies. John Thompson and Bobby! So 4 americans in 14 years.

[Bravo]

Bravo,

I am not american but italian and I have a decent knowledge.

Of portugues, but I understand what you say. Your still a gringo! HAHAHAHA! Seriously, I think you will have the same level of difficulty as an American when it comes to finding employment in Brasil. I know plenty of IT guys (myself included) who thought it would be a piece of cake to find a gig in Brasil and they never were able to do it.

[Exec Talent]

Your still a gringo! HAHAHAHA! Seriously, I think you will have the same level of difficulty as an American when it comes to finding employment in Brasil. I know plenty of IT guys (myself included) who thought it would be a piece of cake to find a gig in Brasil and they never were able to do it.It really is not hard to find the work; however, rates are about 1/5 of what they are in the US.

[Genio Della]

Actually there is TIM in italy and they have alof of jobs in brazil but I don't live in italy any longer,

Otherwise I would have joned them and asked to send me in Brazil maybe I couldn't make it,

But I know of many people who did so I don't see this incredible difficulty you speak about.


Your still a gringo! HAHAHAHA! Seriously, I think you will have the same level of difficulty as an American when it comes to finding employment in Brasil. I know plenty of IT guys (myself included) who thought it would be a piece of cake to find a gig in Brasil and they never were able to do it.

[Beach Star]

It really is not hard to find the work; however, rates are about 1/5 of what they are in the US.This from the "Ëconomist" recently.

Managers with technical backgrounds are especially scarce in Brazil: big oil finds and infrastructure plans mean demand is soaring, but Brazil turns out just 35, 000 engineers a year, against India's 250, 000 and China's 400, 000.

Many firms are looking outside to fill top posts. But a high crime rate (São Paulo is far safer than it used to be, but still boasts a murder rate nearly double that of New York) and the need to master Portuguese put many foreigners off. And even big Brazilian companies may lack the international renown needed to entice the most ambitious.

Full article here:

http://www.economist.com/node/18010831

[Exec Talent]

This from the "Ëconomist" recently.

Managers with technical backgrounds are especially scarce in Brazil: big oil finds and infrastructure plans mean demand is soaring, but Brazil turns out just 35, 000 engineers a year, against India's 250, 000 and China's 400, 000.

Many firms are looking outside to fill top posts. But a high crime rate (São Paulo is far safer than it used to be, but still boasts a murder rate nearly double that of New York) and the need to master Portuguese put many foreigners off. And even big Brazilian companies may lack the international renown needed to entice the most ambitious.

Full article here:

http://www.economist.com/node/18010831I am very familiar with the head hunting firm, Dasein Executive Search. I think Bravo and Genio Della were discussing IT workers and the job prospects for them. Jobs for IT workers are available just not at a compensation level comparable to the US or Europe. Top CEOs are always in demand, especially when you have your ass in a sling.

[Genio Della]

There is a very famous brazillian job site called catho, here it's possible to see that java developers and architect are paid from 5000 reals to 10000 per month, so it's not too bad.

For Managers is a different matter rumors says that actually in Sao Paulo they are among the most well paid in the world.

What about this head hunting firm is it involved in finding job in brazil?


I am very familiar with the head hunting firm, Dasein Executive Search. I think Bravo and Genio Della were discussing IT workers and the job prospects for them. Jobs for IT workers are available just not at a compensation level comparable to the US or Europe. Top CEOs are always in demand, especially when you have your ass in a sling.

[Rio Bob]

Knowing that you've been to Rio for a long time, don't you think it was better on ho-beach in the early nineties than around 2001? I definitely think so.

Ho-beach 2011 is dead. Who knows, Ho-beach 2014-2016 might be like in the old times? I was in Rio 1980 to 1987 and then again 1997 to present. In the 80's I never remember just one place on the beach with a concentration of girls like Ho beach had at one time, it might have been there but I was not aware of it. I went to the beach usually in front of the hotel I happened to be staying at. For example if I stated at the Hotel California I went to the beach there and at night went to the Café next door La Maison to pick up girls as the Café had as many girls as did Meia Pataca did at one time.

Or if I stayed at The Rio Othon Palace I went to the beach across the street but didn't notice that it had any more girls than any other location on the beach, maybe this happened more towards the early 90's when Help became the focal point of Copacabana. Meia Pataca had girls and didn't seem to have any more than any other Café on the beach.

I used to stay at the Rio Palace (Sofitel) and at night went to the Café next door Pigalle. That Café was full of girls, just like La Maison and Mabs and Meia Pataca, they were all over the place.

But when I returned in 1997 everything seemed to be more concentrated around Meia Pataca, Ho beach and the Help area day and night with some activity at Mabs and across the street from Mabs at the beach.

In 1997 the dollar / Real was almost about 1 – 1, I found it very expensive but it is more expensive today. Also in 1997 I did not see many tourists / mongers similar to today but that changed as the dollar strengthened against the Real every year the dollar got stronger more and more tourists would come.

My last trip to Rio was the most expensive trip I have ever had, air fares are up, apartments are up, and restaurants are crazy with their prices. The only thing that was about the same or even less was the girls, paying less reais today then few years ago but maybe few more dollars.

Perhaps with the World Cup and the Olympics coming to town Ho beach will revitalize again but the exchange rate needs to be better to sustain this.

[Sperto]

I was in Rio 1980 to 1987 and then again 1997 to present. In the 80's I never remember just one place on the beach with a concentration of girls like Ho beach had at one time, it might have been there but I was not aware of it. I went to the beach usually in front of the hotel I happened to be staying at. For example if I stated at the Hotel California I went to the beach there and at night went to the Café next door La Maison to pick up girls as the Café had as many girls as did Meia Pataca did at one time....Interesting, thank you.

[Golfinho]

I was in Rio 1980 to 1987 and then again 1997 to present. In 1997 the dollar / Real was almost about 1 – 1, I found it very expensive but it is more expensive today. Also in 1997 I did not see many tourists / mongers similar to today but that changed as the dollar strengthened against the Real every year the dollar got stronger more and more tourists would come.Cardoso came in and initiated the Real at par with the dollar (1995) after which it gradually went down to nearly 4:1 just before Lula was first elected. In 2002 and 2003 Brazil was a tremendous deal as everyone remembers. But, the early years of the real, I don't recall being especially expensive and the tourists were always coming. Except the bad times late '80s to '91 or so: the transition from Military Government was chaotic at times, we wouldn't go on the beach day or night and tourists were staying away from Rio. But things were still cheap. Now, is the most expensive I can remember since first coming in '85. From '92 on, there was always a big crowd of foreign guys in front of Help every night. Girls on the street and beach in the Lido section Princess Isabella early and mid-90s.

[Grandnash84]

What months are the cheapest time of year to go to Rio? I means flight and hotel wise. I'm traveling from sf in the US.

[Sui Generis]

Habitually it's cheaper in Winter (June, July, August).

I don't know for the flights but for sure the hotels are a lot cheaper on the North Litoral of São Paulo (sometimes it's even 45% less). I guess it's the same thing for Rio and the resorts near Rio.

[Exec Talent]

What months are the cheapest time of year to go to Rio? I means flight and hotel wise. I'm traveling from sf in the US.If you think you are going to find cheap hotels or apartments in Rio anytime soon you can forget it. As for airfares, they do for the most part follow the season and are cheaper now than they have been. São Paulo is not going to be hosting the World Cup and Olympics and it does not have oil platforms right off its shores like Rio. If you are willing to stay in a hostel and eat at the cheapest places (not McDonald's where a Big Mac meal costs around $8.75) then you can still do Rio on a budget. Otherwise, even if you spend most of your time at the downtown casas it still is going to cost you.

[Bravo]

What is the portugese word for "Flirt"? To say a person is flirting or to call someone a big flirt.

[Grandnash84]

What is the portugese word for "Flirt"? To say a person is flirting or to call someone a big flirt.I believe it is flertar

[Sperto]

What is the portugese word for "Flirt"? To say a person is flirting...I would say paquerar.

[Genio Della]

Last time in fortaleza a girl told me : quero namorar com voce.

So namorar is used even for flirting, but when a girls like you tells you : te quero, after some times he can become apasionada, and if you win her heart she can become namorada.

I am not so experienced so let's wait for some other to comment and maybe correct.

Ficar is often used to say I went with that boy and if she is a non pro girl can even mean : we only kissed.

Otherwise almost always means I had sex with him.


What is the portugese word for "Flirt"? To say a person is flirting or to call someone a big flirt.

[Albert Punter]

I agree, this should be right translation.


I would say paquerar.

[Micpas]

I agree, this should be right translation.Paquerar is a conversation, with the intent of conquesting the girl, and beginning a relationship (hopefully leading to bed).

Namorar is already having a relationship.

Amisade colorida is a friendship, but occasionally also something more, sometimes to bed, without compromise

[Java Man]

Paquerar is a conversation, with the intent of conquesting the girl, and beginning a relationship (hopefully leading to bed).

Namorar is already having a relationship.

Amisade colorida is a friendship, but occasionally also something more, sometimes to bed, without compromiseAmizade Colorida literally a Colorful Friendship:

"Amizade colorida.

Segundo o dicionáRio Houaiss, amizade colorida é um relacionamento amoroso e sexual, geralmente passageiro, sem compromisso de estabilidade ou fidelidade. Ou seja, é uma espécie de relação aberta them que pode existir uma intimidade física entre as pessoas, bem diferente de uma amizade tradicional — também chamada amizade preto-e-branco.

No Brasil, é um relacionamento mais típico das últimas theécadas, que descreve um relacionamento entre um homem e uma mulher (mas também pode ser aplicado a relacionamentos homossexuais) onde estes são amigos, mas também costumam another site algum tipo de relação de caráanother site romântico-sexual, sem que tenham realmente um compromisso de namoro"

Translation by Google, with a little clarification by me:

Colorful Friendship.

"According to the dictionary Houaiss, colorful friendship is a relationship of love and sex, usually, without compromising stability or loyalty. Namely, it is a kind of open intimate physical relationship that can exist between people, quite different from a traditional friendship. Also called friendship black and white.

In Brazil, it is a relationship more typical of recent decades, which describes a relationship between a man and a woman (but can also be applied to homosexual relationships) where they are friends, but also usually have some relationship to sexual-romantic character without having a real commitment to dating."

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amizade

Best know as "Friends with Benefits" here in the USA. BTW, the Dictionary Houaiss is one of the most sold dictionaries in Brazil per wiki.

Genio D:

If a girl told me : quero namorar com voce. I would understand that to mean: I want to start a relationship with you, leading to sex and (marriage. EEK!)

Flirt:

1: namoradeira, coquete. 2: movimento vivaz, arremesso, agitação. 3: sacudidela, meneio.

• vt+vi 1: flertar, namorar por passatempo, coquetear. 2: brincar com, divertir-se com, folgar. 3: mover, agitar rapidamente, lançar, adejar. 4: sacudir, saracotear, menear.

To flirt a fan: brincar com um leque.

To flirt with: interesse passageiro por algo.

http://michaelis.uol.com.br/moderno/ingles/index.php?lingua=ingles-portugues&palavra=flirt

And:

Verb: flertar

Noun: namorador (a) m / f, paquerador (a) m / f.

http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-portuguese/flirt/forced

Also anyone looking for an great online English-Portuguese, (and vice-versa) dictionary resource:

http://www.lexilogos.com/english/portuguese_dictionary.htm

Lots of links.

[Omeprazol]

Hello, EveryOne.

I am planning on a trip to Brazil but I don't know so much about the country so I thought I'the post a few questions here and hope for the best.

- When is the best time to visit Brazil?

- What places (cities) do you recommend? I'the like to stay in a town with a beach. And also what places do you recommend if one wants to have a good time with the girls in this city?

- My budget is around 3000 to 4500 US dollars. How long do you reckon I can stay in Brazil with this kind of money? (I want to stay in hotels of average class. If one can say so.)

I am very grateful for any advice / reply! Ciao.

[Albert Punter]

These are my answers:

- it depends where you go. In north-east part where beautiful beaches are, any seaon is OK. Sao Paulo, Rio and South winter months (I. E. June. July and August) should be avoided as you won't enjoy beaches;

- as you want a seaside city: Fortaleza.

- more or less 10 days.


Hello, EveryOne.

I am planning on a trip to Brazil but I don't know so much about the country so I thought I'the post a few questions here and hope for the best.

- When is the best time to visit Brazil?

- What places (cities) do you recommend? I'the like to stay in a town with a beach. And also what places do you recommend if one wants to have a good time with the girls in this city?

- My budget is around 3000 to 4500 US dollars. How long do you reckon I can stay in Brazil with this kind of money? (I want to stay in hotels of average class. If one can say so.)

I am very grateful for any advice / reply! Ciao.

[Sperto]

These are my answers:

- it depends where you go. In north-east part where beautiful beaches are, any seaon is OK. Sao Paulo, Rio and South winter months (I. E. June. July and August) should be avoided as you won't enjoy beaches;

- as you want a seaside city: Fortaleza.

- more or less 10 days. Omeprazol, go for Albert's spot-on recommendations.

[Rio Bob]

I know others have mentioned it before about high fares for the airlines I think this article may have part of the answer:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2075717,00.html

I have been monitoring airfares lately and hoping they went down but instead they went up, American Airlines has gone up to about $2,400 RT, may be good if you have reais but with dollars I find this unrealistic.

For the same time period TAM has been holding at $972 with tax and fees, I figured with American and others going up in price that it wouldn't be long for Tam to follow so I bought the ticket. Last trip I paid $700 on American so this is a 40% increase. I guess if you want to play then you have to pay and pay and pay.

[Java Man]

I have been monitoring airfares lately and hoping they went down but instead they went up, American Airlines has gone up to about $2,400 RT, may be good if you have reais but with dollars I find this unrealistic.Where are you flying from? I just checked American for a R / T in Sept 15-26, (cheaper to fly midweek,) ORD to GIG: $937usd on Tam, $1033 on US Airways, $1053usd on Continental and United, $1056 on American and Delta. $2390usd on Iberia.

www.kayak.com

[SkinnyBop]

Amizade Colorida. Friends with benefits.

Paquerar. Flirt.

Flertar. Old portuguese. Same as paquerar.

Namorar / namorada. Having a relantioship with someone (girfriend)

BUT, in some cases namorar means to have sex / make love (politely) especially when you don't know the person enough to propose starting a relationship.

So if a girl tells you quero namorar (com) voce and you don't know her it means: I want to have sex with you

[Rio Bob]

Where are you flying from? I just checked American for a R / T in Sept 15-26, (cheaper to fly midweek,) ORD to GIG: $937usd on Tam, $1033 on US Airways, $1053usd on Continental and United, $1056 on American and Delta. $2390usd on Iberia.

www.kayak.comYeah, using this site and airfare. Com Tam comes out a few dollars more for my high season timeframe but American is still as high but not shown on this chart.

Im taking the non-stop JFK-GIG $972 including tax and fees, this site has it as 1001 and cheap tickets has it at 1601.

[Grandnash84]

What is the best airline to travel to brazil. I'm going to buy my ticket next week and I have been leaning toward aa. How is copa airlines? Any other recommendations. Aa is about 1700 round trip from sfo-gig. Copa is like 1500. If the plane is nice I don't mind paying more, I just don't want to be in a crappy plane for 10 hours

[Mr Enternational]

I have been monitoring airfares lately and hoping they went down but instead they went up, American Airlines has gone up to about $2,400 RT, may be good if you have reais but with dollars I find this unrealistic.Damn first class. For that much money they should allow you to FLY the plane.

[Rio Bob]

Damn first class. For that much money they should allow you to FLY the plane.Last week business class on American was only $500 more than coach, business was $2600 RT. But now its about 3500, I was tempted last week to buy the 2600 business class ticket.

[Rio Bob]

What is the best airline to travel to brazil. I'm going to buy my ticket next week and I have been leaning toward aa. How is copa airlines? Any other recommendations. Aa is about 1700 round trip from sfo-gig. Copa is like 1500. If the plane is nice I don't mind paying more, I just don't want to be in a crappy plane for 10 hours

I have never taken Copa but I hear it is bad, I believe they stop in Panama? If they do then I believe that the planes are not even wide bodies, they are 737's, do you want to fly all the way down to Rio in a 737? forget them.

I believe that TAM is the best airline as far as price / service and schedule and Hot Brazilian flight attendents..

Try to get to JFK and take the non stop JFK to GIG, it arrives at 5:30 am or go to Miami they have a flight out of Miami.

[Voyajer1]

Unless you are into airframes, the 737's are not that bad IMHO. There are a lot less people on the plane. I've been flying with them for years, the best part are the numerous class upgrades I've received through my travels with them. Coach class isn't so bad either, at least they keep you fed and cocktails are a nice way to neutralize any seat discomfort you may have. The airport in PTY is a nice place to do some last minute shopping on their Duty Free, it's really nice getting some good stuff to consume while on the go. My last purchase for a roundtrip fare was in November from LAX to GIG and 3 out of the 4 legs I got moved from coach to business class. The fare was $756 USD. I'd say not a bad deal. But that was just before the damned "Fuel surcharges" went into effect.


I have never taken Copa but I hear it is bad, I believe they stop in Panama? If they do then I believe that the planes are not even wide bodies, they are 737's, do you want to fly all the way down to Rio in a 737? Forget them.

I believe that TAM is the best airline as far as price / service and schedule and Hot Brazilian flight attendents.

Try to get to JFK and take the non stop JFK to GIG, it arrives at 5:30 am or go to Miami they have a flight out of Miami.

[Mr Enternational]

I have never taken Copa but I hear it is bad, I believe they stop in Panama? If they do then I believe that the planes are not even wide bodies, they are 737's, do you want to fly all the way down to Rio in a 737? forget them.The seat that you are in is going to be the same size whether 737 or 767, so the size of the plane is moot. And yes, Copa definitely stops in Panama.

[Java Man]

Not if one is flying First or Business Class. Sangue Bon's $2400usd R / T JFK. GIG is for business class. I did not realize that immediately. DOH!

Double that airfare for first class on American. $9600 to $12000usd on TAM first class!

[The Cane]

What is the best airline to travel to brazil. I'm going to buy my ticket next week and I have been leaning toward aa. How is copa airlines? Any other recommendations. Aa is about 1700 round trip from sfo-gig. Copa is like 1500. If the plane is nice I don't mind paying more, I just don't want to be in a crappy plane for 10 hoursAmerican out of Dallas might be OK, but if you have to go through Miami International Airport, I would avoid that at all cost. I despise the Miami airport. Confusing signage (or none at all when there should be some) , long, looooong walks from one part of the airport to another, uncomfortable departure lounges, etc. I hate the place and actively avoid it. I have been to many, many airports around the world, and Miami's is one of the worst I've passed through. It's a zoo in there! Copa is the primary international carrier operating out of Panama, which means that you'd have to stop in Panama City. It's an OK airline, but I always prefer non-stops if I can get them.

[Rio Bob]

Not if one is flying First or Business Class. Sangue Bon's $2400usd R / T JFK. GIG is for business class. I did not realize that immediately. DOH!

Double that airfare for first class on American. $9600 to $12000usd on TAM first class!

Sorry that I wasn't clear that $2400 is coach not bus class on AA, if it was bus class it would have been a good price and I wouldn't complain.



Unless you are into airframes, the 737's are not that bad IMHO. There are a lot less people on the plane. I've been flying with them for years, the best part are the numerous class upgrades I've received through my travels with them.

Thanks for the report now I know better, I never flew them but I spoke to a Doctor once in Rio who did and she didn't like it, but it sounds OK. I had another friend who complained about the 737 but you're all right, less people and same seat size, why does it matter.

[Legal Tender]

American out of Dallas might be OK, but if you have to go through Miami International Airport, I would avoid that at all cost. I despise the Miami airport. Confusing signage (or none at all when there should be some) , long, looooong walks from one part of the airport to another, uncomfortable departure lounges, etc. I hate the place and actively avoid it. I have been to many, many airports around the world, and Miami's is one of the worst I've passed through. It's a zoo in there! Copa is the primary international carrier operating out of Panama, which means that you'd have to stop in Panama City. It's an OK airline, but I always prefer non-stops if I can get them.American flies one of its 767's from DFW to GIG 2 or 3 times a week - non stop. But, all of these airline prices are simply getting sky high, pun intended.

[Java Man]

Sorry that I wasn't clear that $2400 is coach not bus class on AA, if it was bus class it would have been a good price and I wouldn't complain.$2400usd for coach? Not to pry, but is / was this a last minute decision to fly to Rio? And leaving on a weekend? Just wondering why it's so high.

[Rio Bob]

$2400usd for coach? Not to pry, but is / was this a last minute decision to fly to Rio? And leaving on a weekend? Just wondering why it's so high.Right around Carnaval time so no not last minute, I didn't buy it I bought Tam instead at $972. That was for American Airlines, they have a good flight non-stop from JFK but their price is unrealistic.

[Eric Cartman]

Anyone have any recommendations on Brazil dating sites where I have a reasonable chance of meeting non-professional (not garota de programa) girls?

I have heard of Brazil Cupid. Jdate doesn't operate in Brazil, and I don't know how good Match. Com is. Any suggestions?

I'm getting a bit tired of fishing in the pool of terma / private chicks. Wondered if online would be a better way to meet "normal" girls. Students, careers, etc.

Me: living in Rio since October, good Porto, exec with an internet company here in Copa.

I'm not big on clubbing etc. I have had reasonable experiences in the USA with Match, etc.

Thanks!

-Cartman

[Sperto]

Today is Dia dos Namorados. Be good to your girlfriends and send them some kisses.

[Mr Enternational]

Anyone have any recommendations on Brazil dating sites where I have a reasonable chance of meeting non-professional (not garota de programa) girls?

I have heard of Brazil Cupid. Jdate doesn't operate in Brazil, and I don't know how good Match. Com is. Any suggestions?

I'm getting a bit tired of fishing in the pool of terma / private chicks. Wondered if online would be a better way to meet "normal" girls. Students, careers, etc.

Me: living in Rio since October, good Porto, exec with an internet company here in Copa.

I'm not big on clubbing etc. I have had reasonable experiences in the USA with Match, etc.

Thanks!

-CartmanLatin American Cupid was always my favorite because there is a selection of women from all over the world and there is a bigger pool. For instance at this very moment on Brazil Cupid there are 227 women online. On Latin American Cupid there are 947 women online.

[Poucolouco]

Anyone have any recommendations on Brazil dating sites where I have a reasonable chance of meeting non-professional (not garota de programa) girls?

I have heard of Brazil Cupid. Jdate doesn't operate in Brazil, and I don't know how good Match. Com is. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

-CartmanHave you tried LatinEuro or ParPerfeito?

[Eric Cartman]

Have you tried LatinEuro or ParPerfeito?No. Never heard of them before. Are they the large Brazil online dating sites?

[Eric Cartman]

Latin American Cupid was always my favorite because there is a selection of women from all over the world and there is a bigger pool. For instance at this very moment on Brazil Cupid there are 227 women online. On Latin American Cupid there are 947 women online.Sure but they are part of the same company / network. I am pretty sure the BrazilCupid members are a subset of the LatAm ones. So it doesn't help me if LatAm has more women outside of Brazil / Rio. I am looking for a good online dating site with women in Rio, where I live. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

I did check Plenty Of Fish and the selection in Rio seemed super weak. Anyone have experience with Match. Com down here?

[Poucolouco]

No. Never heard of them before. Are they the large Brazil online dating sites?Latineuro is registered in Miami, Florida and I believe Parperfeito has some connection with Match. Com. You can experiment to see if they offer what you are looking for without registering or making a commitment. If you don't like them, move on.

[Rio Bob]

I did check Plenty Of Fish and the selection in Rio seemed super weak. Anyone have experience with Match. Com down here?I used Match. Com from 2004 to 2009 and had luck with it and I only visited Rio twice a year. If you live in Rio then you should do very well. Most of the women I met were educated lovely ladies who were looking for serious relationships or so they said. I had a lot of fun with it and may do it again but was a lot of work for me especially because I didn't live in Rio so I had to act fast.

[SkinnyBop]

Are they the large Brazil online dating sites?Par Perfeito is.

[Mr Enternational]

Sure but they are part of the same company / network. I am pretty sure the BrazilCupid members are a subset of the LatAm ones. So it doesn't help me if LatAm has more women outside of Brazil / Rio. I am looking for a good online dating site with women in Rio, where I live. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

I did check Plenty Of Fish and the selection in Rio seemed super weak. Anyone have experience with Match. Com down here? Plenty of Fish is very weak. Parfeito didn't seem user friendly to me at all so I let it fall by the wayside. On Brazil Cupid and Latin American Cupid you can make a profile and do a search for Rio and judge from that without paying. In my experience the same women do not use both sites. And I have met many more in Rio from Latin American Cupid (more than 20) than from Brazil Cupid (maybe 2 or 3).

[Mr Enternational]

5:26 pm tuesday, june 14, 2011.

by greg bluestein

the associated press

atlanta — four brazilian women sued an american fishing tour operator on tuesday, claiming that he coerced them with alcohol, drugs and the promise of money to perform sex acts with tourists on his boat along the amazon.

the federal complaint targets richard schair, a georgia man who until 2009 operated the wet-a-line tours. it contends he recruited the four **** brazilians and others from an impoverished community and duped them into performing sex acts on him and his customers, who were often affluent american travelers.

schair told the associated press he is innocent and that the claims originated in a "quest by a competitor to ruin me" but declined further comment.

the lawsuit in federal court in north georgia was brought by four unnamed plaintiffs who said they were between 12 and 17 when the sex acts took place. it was filed by attorneys from atlanta law firm king & spalding and coordinated by equality now, a human rights group.

"with this lawsuit, we hope to shine a spotlight on such conduct and the real harm it does to the victims, and to get justice for the victims," said john harbin, the attorney who filed the complaint.

schair began operating the tours in 1998, and eventually began running weeklong trips along rivers and basin aboard his boat, the amazon santana. he began to actively recruit "sex tourism" customers from the usa to come on the tours, and many of his clients were wealthy americans, the lawsuit said.

but the fishing expeditions gave way to wild parties that involved **** girls, drugs and sex, the complaint said. schair sent fishing guides and other employees into the community of autazes and a nightclub along the amazon to recruit young girls and buy drugs. in return, it said, they were paid a "modest" sum of money.

"the girls, including the plaintiffs, were impoverished and the possibility of earning money on the boat was a significant inducement," the lawsuit said.

one of the girls said she was 12 when she was persuaded to come aboard the boat, and then forced to have sex. another plaintiff said she refused to have sex with a passenger on the boat when she was 16, but then returned about a year later and this time was forced to use drugs and have sex.

taina bien-aimé, the executive director of equality now, said she hopes the lawsuit sends a message to suspected sex tour operators "that sex trafficking victims anywhere can bring a case against those who exploit them by pressing for damages in the usa"

[Sperto]

four brazilian women sued an american fishing tour operator on tuesday, claiming that he coerced them with alcohol, drugs and the promise of money to perform sex acts with tourists on his boat along the amazon.

the federal complaint targets richard schair, a georgia man who until 2009 operated the wet-a-line tours. it contends he recruited the four **** brazilians and others from an impoverished community and duped them into performing sex acts on him and his customers, who were often affluent american travelers. the right thing would be to lock up schair and his clients in a brazilian prison. they would quickly get what they deserve.

[MarkPrivate]

Hi.

I am going to try my first terma next week. The general feedback from chaps with similar interests seems to be Luomo for a non-portuguese speaking gringo. Any views on this? If anyone is at a loose end next Friday pm me!

I am also going to hit a Privee on Rua Branco. 181 seems a decent bet. But the website shows an address elsewhere (R. The Conceição. 19. Centro). Which is the right place?

Any pointers welcome.

Cheers.

Mark

[Mangera]

Hi.

I am going to try my first terma next week. The general feedback from chaps with similar interests seems to be Luomo for a non-portuguese speaking gringo. Any views on this? If anyone is at a loose end next Friday pm me!

I am also going to hit a Privee on Rua Branco. 181 seems a decent bet. But the website shows an address elsewhere (R. The Conceição. 19. Centro). Which is the right place?

Any pointers welcome.

Cheers.

MarkI walked in to the place to check out the line up in person as oppossed to just relying on the pictures online. There really was not a garota that caught my attention and make me pull the trigger. So I walked out. The place did look clean and oraganized, but thats about it.

[Eric Cartman]

Hi.

I am going to try my first terma next week. The general feedback from chaps with similar interests seems to be Luomo for a non-portuguese speaking gringo. Any views on this? If anyone is at a loose end next Friday pm me!

I am also going to hit a Privee on Rua Branco. 181 seems a decent bet. But the website shows an address elsewhere (R. The Conceição. 19. Centro). Which is the right place?

Any pointers welcome.

Cheers.

MarkMonte Carlo is a better 1st-time English-speaking experience, IMHO.

[Sperto]

I walked in to the place to check out the line up in person as oppossed to just relying on the pictures online. There really was not a garota that caught my attention and make me pull the trigger.Mangera, if Juliana don't pull your trigger I promise I will jump from Cristo Redentor.
http://www.novamassagem.com/juliana/index.htm

[Mangera]

Mangera, if Juliana don't pull your trigger I promise I will jump from Cristo Redentor.

http://www.novamassagem.com/juliana/index.htmShe was not in the line up, must have been busy or not there on that day. I actually was looking forward to seeing Isabelle, but the gerente told me she has been out this week due to a cold. She gave me a card with the casa's number to call early next week to check and see if Isabelle is working.

As for the rest of the line up, in camparison to other places like Flavia's, it's not the same quality as far as appearances go. As far as service, I really can't comment, cause I have not partaken in Casa 19.

But once Isabelle gets back or if Juliana catches my eye, I will get a taste and let you know.

[Sperto]

She was not in the line up, must have been busy or not there on that day. I actually was looking forward to seeing Isabelle, but the gerente told me she has been out this week due to a cold. She gave me a card with the casa's number to call early next week to check and see if Isabelle is working.

As for the rest of the line up, in camparison to other places like Flavia's, it's not the same quality as far as appearances go. As far as service, I really can't comment, cause I have not partaken in Casa 19.

But once Isabelle gets back or if Juliana catches my eye, I will get a taste and let you know. Juliana is just fantastic imo. She's one of the first ones on my shopping list for my next visit.

Isabella must be quite a new girl. Some of the girls that worked there before the casa moved are not longer on their site; Rafaela, Samara and Livia. Maybe they have gone down in quality since they moved?

[Bubba Boy]

Juliana is just fantastic imo. She's one of the first ones on my shopping list for my next visit.

Isabella must be quite a new girl. Some of the girls that worked there before the casa moved are not longer on their site; Rafaela, Samara and Livia. Maybe they have gone down in quality since they moved? Samara has moved to BelPrazer which is the same owner. Julina is just so cute, lovely face!

[Sperto]

Samara has moved to BelPrazer which is the same owner. Julina is just so cute, lovely face!Juliana is so cute that it's almost a shame to f**k her. So sweet, like a pudim de leite. If I didn't go fore 30 minutes sessions with her I would just like to look at her face for hours. Definitely a girl that have to be repeated several times (which I rarely do with GP's).

[Mangera]

Samara has moved to BelPrazer which is the same owner. Julina is just so cute, lovely face!I saw her yesterday at Bel Prazer. Nice tall gal. But I went with another. Maybe I will give her a spin some time next week.

Now I am intrigued by this juliana gal. Going to have to go back to Casal 19 to make a point of seeing her face too. I promise to report fellas.

[Bubba Boy]

I saw her yesterday at Bel Prazer. Nice tall gal. But I went with another. Maybe I will give her a spin some time next week.

Now I am intrigued by this juliana gal. Going to have to go back to Casal 19 to make a point of seeing her face too. I promise to report fellas. Juliana is unquestionably beautiful. She is very petite, white skinned Morena, very cute. Personally I can see the beauty but she is not my type. So if you like petite women you will like her. If you like a more robust women probably won't suit you.

[Mangera]

Samara has moved to BelPrazer which is the same owner. Julina is just so cute, lovely face!Bel Prazer and Casa 19 share the same owner.

Emporio do banho (Centro- Rua do Rosario. 135) and Duda Massagens share same owner.

Rio Lux and Equipe Flavia's as well.

[Exec Talent]

In the closing minute of the FIFA Women's World Cup extra time, with Brazil up 2-1 on some questionable officiating, a Brazilian player suddenly goes down obviously faking an injury to break the US Team's momentum and run out the clock. As she is taken off the field, she springs up from the stretcher and sprints back into the game. In one of the calls they got right, the officials put 3 minutes back on the clock. As that time is running down the US scores a dramatic goal to tie the game at 2-2 and send it into a kick-off. The US closes out the win by striking 5 goals to Brazil's 3.

Marta, the Brazilian star, is a world-class player. You can't help but admire her talent and effort. Too bad she is on a team that found it necessary to try to pull one with so many people watching. The American women, who were playing down a player because of red flag, never gave up and demonstrated incredible conditioning and spirit.

[Poucolouco]

an auction to build a major high-speed rail link between brazil's two main cities, sao paulo and rio, has failed to attract any bidders. the head of brazil's national agency of terrestrial transport (antt) , bernardo figueiredo, put the blame for monday's failed auction on national construction firms.

after the auction was delayed in november 2010 and again in april 2011 due to lack of interest, dilma rousseff pressed ahead on monday in the apparent hope that at least one consortium of foreign or local companies would present a bid.

bidding for the project, estimated to cost 38bn reais (£15bn; $24bn) , will now be split into two stages.

officials say work will start in 2013 but is unlikely to be complete by 2016.

looks like another reprieve for vila mimosa.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14118028

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/11/brazil-train-idusn1e76a1at20110711?feedtype=rss&feedname=marketsnews

[Rio Bob]

I find it interesting that Rio is closing places like Help and 4x4 but yet they are interested in becoming the worlds capital of gay tourism:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jul/11/rio-de-janeiro-gay-tourism

[Poucolouco]

I find it interesting that Rio is closing places like Help and 4x4 but yet they are interested in becoming the worlds capital of gay tourism:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jul/11/rio-de-janeiro-gay-tourismDo you expect logic in the politics of Brasil? While the Guardian reports on the promotion of gay tourism in Rio, there is a movement in the Brasilian congress to change the law which bans violent acts against homophobia. Initially, evangelicals tried to repeal the law but they have now fallen back to a proposal to change the law so it will include language stating that homosexuality is a sin. Some of the arguments even asserted that the number 122 of the law. 122/06 had been demonized. I guess someone was practicing Macumba here. To date, the congress is still debating the outcome.

[Voyajer1]

Young Brazilian men drilled in the ass than the same happening to women? I guess when they elected her to lead them, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. There were plenty of warning signs by the way, its not like they did not know she was going to screw things up. I just can't wait what the next Samba "Queen" for one or several of their Samba Schools is going to look like. The up chuck reflex is just unbearable.


I find it interesting that Rio is closing places like Help and 4x4 but yet they are interested in becoming the worlds capital of gay tourism:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jul/11/rio-de-janeiro-gay-tourism

[Bravo]

In America, if your wife has a baby while you two are married, you are financialy responsible for the kid until that child turns 21. Even if you take a DNA test to prove its not your kid, the state will still make you pay! I was wondering if the law is the same in Brasil. I have a buddy who was married a few years ago to a carioca, she became pregnant and had a baby. After the baby was born, they got divorced and he came back to the states. I heard from a couple of the guys who live in Brasil that the baby wasnt his and that is why he left her and went back to the states. I have seen pictuures of the baby and I will say if it is his kid, than the mother has the strongest genes in the world because the baby looks NOTHING like him. He has never said anything about whether he is the father or not, I just put two and two together.

Thru a mutual friend, I heard she just started a lawsuit in Brasil to try and claim 8 years of child support. She said they have some sort of lawsuit that the brasilian consulate can give to the American consulate and they will seize his passport and his wages until he pays up. (I have never heard of this before). If he takes a DNA test and it shows it isn't his baby will he be free of the drama? Or will the courts make him pay because they were married when the baby was born?

[Mr Enternational]

Thru a mutual friend, I heard she just started a lawsuit in Brasil to try and claim 8 years of child support. She said they have some sort of lawsuit that the brasilian consulate can give to the American consulate and they will seize his passport and his wages until he pays up. (I have never heard of this before).Legal Tender posted this in the Philippines thread last month:


"International child support cases in the United States are currently handled under bilateral federal-level arrangements or informal arrangements between individual USA states and foreign countries. Section 459A of the Social Security Act n13 outlines the conditions which must be met before the United States will enter into an agreement to enforce child support obligations for a resident of another country. Generally, the other country must have procedures in place and available to USA residents (or commit to establishing such procedures) that would enable the foreign country to establish and enforce child support obligations, including the establishment of paternity, collect and distribute child support payments, and provide any necessary legal or other services at no cost. Also, the foreign country must designate a central authority to facilitate international cases. The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) of the Department of Health and Human Services is the central USA authority for international child support. N14 The United States currently has federal reciprocity arrangements with fifteen foreign jurisdictions n15 and negotiations are underway with approximately ten more countries. Many countries do not provide free legal services in all child support cases and do not establish paternity as part of a child support case. N16 Consequently, the United States has no federal-level child support agreement with those countries."

38 Int'l Law. 493.

As of this date, the following countries (or Canadian provinces) have [*71606] been designated foreign reciprocating countries:

Country Effective date.

Australia May 21, 2001.

Canadian Provinces:

Alberta Sept. 4,2002.

British Columbia Dec. 15, 1999.

Manitoba July 11, 2000.

Newfoundland / Labrador August 7, 2002.

Nova Scotia Dec. 18, 1998.

Ontario August 7, 2002.

Czech Republic May 3, 2000.

Ireland Sept. 10, 1997.

Netherlands May 1, 2002.

Norway June 10, 2002.

Poland June 14, 1999.

Portugal. Mar. 17, 2001.

Slovak Republic. Feb. 1,1998.

[Amerioca]

In America, if your wife has a baby while you two are married, you are financialy responsible for the kid until that child turns 21. Even if you take a DNA test to prove its not your kid, the state will still make you pay! I was wondering if the law is the same in Brasil. I have a buddy who was married a few years ago to a carioca, she became pregnant and had a baby. After the baby was born, they got divorced and he came back to the states. I heard from a couple of the guys who live in Brasil that the baby wasnt his and that is why he left her and went back to the states. I have seen pictuures of the baby and I will say if it is his kid, than the mother has the strongest genes in the world because the baby looks NOTHING like him. He has never said anything about whether he is the father or not, I just put two and two together.

Thru a mutual friend, I heard she just started a lawsuit in Brasil to try and claim 8 years of child support. She said they have some sort of lawsuit that the brasilian consulate can give to the American consulate and they will seize his passport and his wages until he pays up. (I have never heard of this before). If he takes a DNA test and it shows it isn't his baby will he be free of the drama? Or will the courts make him pay because they were married when the baby was born?I have experience going through an international divorce, and it was very, very fucking ugly. Please note that my ex was from the EU, and the rules of the game may differ in Brasil. Nevertheless, I can only hope that your friend has a packed war chest. Does she have a USA Passport and / or VISA? If so, he must prepare for the possibility of fighting on two fronts.

It would be advisable to hire an attorney in Brasil. Certainly, bring up the DNA matter. If possible, have the ex tested multiple times.

The "in the interest of the child" payments do not apply in Brasil. However, that does not mean she cannot pursue the matter in USA Courts. If your buddy has been supplying monetary support for an extended period of time, the USA Courts may favor her in continuance of payments. Be advised.

If I remember correctly, the Dept. Of State has a list of countries that reciprocate USA alimony laws. I do not remember Brasil on that list; however, please double check, as it was over 10 years ago when I last viewed the materials.

Contact the USA Consulate or Embassy in Brasil for advice. They should have experience in such matters. Onc can also confirm if alimony reciprocity exists.

There is nothing like dealing with a jaded and evil ex-wife. He needs to hit hard, and shut her down ASAP. Best wishes for your buddy.

UPDATE: While writing, Mr. E. posted the countries below.

[Bravo]

I have experience going through an international divorce, and it was very, very fucking ugly. Please note that my ex was from the EU, and the rules of the game may differ in Brasil. Nevertheless, I can only hope that your friend has a packed war chest. Does she have a USA Passport and / or VISA? If so, he must prepare for the possibility of fighting on two fronts.

It would be advisable to hire an attorney in Brasil. Certainly, bring up the DNA matter. If possible, have the ex tested multiple times.

The "in the interest of the child" payments do not apply in Brasil. However, that does not mean she cannot pursue the matter in USA Courts. If your buddy has been supplying monetary support for an extended period of time, the USA Courts may favor her in continuance of payments. Be advised.

If I remember correctly, the Dept. Of State has a list of countries that reciprocate USA alimony laws. I do not remember Brasil on that list; however, please double check, as it was over 10 years ago when I last viewed the materials.

Contact the USA Consulate or Embassy in Brasil for advice. They should have experience in such matters. Onc can also confirm if alimony reciprocity exists.

There is nothing like dealing with a jaded and evil ex-wife. He needs to hit hard, and shut her down ASAP. Best wishes for your buddy.

UPDATE: While writing, Mr. E. Posted the countries below.Nope, she does not and never has had a visa for the states. I don't even think she owns a passport. As far as I know, he has never sent a single penny in support for the kid. As far as I know, once he got divorced, he left brasil and never returned. Every 6 months or so, she sends him an email asking for money and he tells her that he doesn't think the kid is his but he doesn't want to fly to brasil to take a DNA test to confirm it. The kid looks nothing like him, but I have seen enough episodes of Maury to know that this means nothing. LOL!

[Voyajer1]

Does anyone know of any place, a sports bar of some sort, in Rio that shows the NFL games? Please do not mention the Irish Pub. During NFL season they silence the games so that you can hear the dumbass duo or trio that every year seem not to understand the crowds encouraging "Shut the F*ck up" yells and it happens every game, every year including playoffs! I know they don't try that garbage during soccer games, because they are still breathing. Any sport bar would do. Thanks.

[Baggio67]

Does anyone know of any place, a sports bar of some sort, in Rio that shows the NFL games? Please do not mention the Irish Pub. During NFL season they silence the games so that you can hear the dumbass duo or trio that every year seem not to understand the crowds encouraging "Shut the F*ck up" yells and it happens every game, every year including playoffs! I know they don't try that garbage during soccer games, because they are still breathing. Any sport bar would do. Thanks.The Marriott on Avenida Atlantica in Copa had NFL playoff games when I was in Rio January. I am not sure what they have on Sundays during the regular season. It could a limited selection of what games are available. I am not sure if they carry all the games on Sunday. But, it is worth looking into. They for sure have Monday night football as a friend of mine wartched those games there in the past.

[Java Man]

I've Seen many a NFL game and SuperBowl at the JW Marriott, Balcony, and Mud Bug, (There are two: Rua Paula Freitas. 55 and across from the Copa Palace, (on the east side.) Seen, as the games are broadcast in Portuguese. Games televised were the Sunday and Monday night games, maybe Thursday night too. If you want to hear it in English, best bet is the cable TV in your apartment or hotel via SAP. Games are televised on espn2 or band channel. Since Mud Bug closes at 12a, I'd head over to Balcony to watch the fourth quarter.

[Samburo]

If a girl invites : Vamos p sampa

What does that mean?

[Member #3439]

If a girl invites : Vamos p sampa

What does that mean?Probably means vamos para Sao Paulo. 'Let's go to Sao Paulo. '

[SkinnyBop]

Probably means vamos para Sao Paulo. 'Let's go to Sao Paulo. 'Definitely means Let's go to Sao Paulo.

Sampa. Sao Paulo.

Belo. Belo Horizonte.

Curita. Curitiba.

Floripa. Florianopolis

[Member #3439]

If a girl invites : Vamos p sampa

What does that mean?Now that we have told you what it means, please tell us how/where you got this invitation. I am always looking for a nice girl who likes to hang out but also likes sex, cause I have no absolutely, positively, no problem sponsoring a normal girl to travel Brasil with me if she seems low risk and provides natural gfe sex. A plane ticket, food and incidentals for a normal girl costs much less than a weekend doing putas. Especially as compared with a Sunday in Rio, when the options are basically just high priced ripoff termas. For the cost of a session and drinks at L'uomo, I could buy a civilian girl a plane ticket and nice meals and probably get better sex. If you have that opportunity, go for it.

[Spiroshouse]

I am greek recidence and holder of a Greek passport so I don't need a visa for entering brazil.

I have the return leg of my sao paolo-rome-athens air ticket and I will be fly on October.

Alitalia ina thens said me that they don't let me pass through check-in because I don't have a return ticket.

I am thinking to buy a cheap condor air ticket (salvador-frankfurt for 299 euros)

Do you think with this I can resolve this problem?

[Grandnash84]

As for the bars and clubs in lapa, is it easy to pick up on girls without knowing any porto? Are there a lot of tourists in lapa. I know Americans are top of the food chain when we visit brazil, but does that make it easy to pick up on regular girls? What is the vibe of lapa etc?

[Exec Talent]

As for the bars and clubs in lapa, is it easy to pick up on girls without knowing any porto? Are there a lot of tourists in lapa. I know Americans are top of the food chain when we visit brazil, but does that make it easy to pick up on regular girls? What is the vibe of lapa etc?The only food chain that Americans are at the top of is the Gravy Train for GDPs. Sure, there are other tourists visiting Lapa and I have had luck connecting with some of them, particularly Australians, but as far as non-pro Brazilian women are concerned, if you do not speak Portuguese you are dog food. That said, certainly there are non-pros in Brazil who speak English. Good luck with those too.

[Jan 156]

As for the bars and clubs in lapa, is it easy to pick up on girls without knowing any porto? Are there a lot of tourists in lapa. I know Americans are top of the food chain when we visit brazil, but does that make it easy to pick up on regular girls? What is the vibe of lapa etc?If you are a fantastic dancer maybe yes. But some degree of Porto is very helpful in Lapa. These are not the trendy mega-educated women you find in Centro or even Rio Sul. Just regular girls out for a night out. There are only a few p4ps and they are mostly pretty much the sort of character that makes Mimosa look like a luxury escort venue. As to being top of the food chain, I'm not quite with you there. Lapa's not really that big on 'money talks' if that's what you mean. The main thing is to learn the body language, dress like locals do, and don't talk in a loud voice.

A story in case it helps. My wingman (half-American) picked up a couple of gorgeous American ladies at Maracana during a football match one day and arranges a double date (without consulting me LOL, but they were indeed gorgeous). I'd already planned to go to a rave on the north side of town, a place like gold-dust that a gdp-freebie had given me a heads-up on. Awesome warehouse, light show, music all night. It's really not the girls' scene when we get there so we get a taxi all the way back to Lapa. As a) it's open, and b) everyone likes Lapa. We go into a cool dimly-lit club. Dancefloor and bar is hot and buzzing. My wingman already knows that a 'round' of drinks is a *single* large bottle of beer shared round several plastic cups. (Buying people drinks is a put down if you do it in a way they can't afford to buy drinks back). We're totally chilled with the guys and girls there and our less-than-great Porto is ok for bar chat. But something is not quite right. Check it out. The girls are tall, blonde, skinny, sunglasses and designer shoes. They do that thing that when they walk into a room everyone knows they are the most important people in the room. Great dancers, lovely girls, but that is just not the Brasilian way. We ask them if it's maybe time to get a taxi. They think we are all getting one together. But we open the door, let them in, and shut it again bidding them a cheery goodnight. When we go back into the club, it's like rejoining family. Family who have felt too left out to be really close and warm before. Who wouldn't, with when faced with Ms-Rich-Kid x 2? Now we can relax. The guys are filling our plastic cups, the girls are dispensing with the Anglo-American body distance and getting nice and close while they talk. Now although my wingman was brilliant at pulling fabulous women, I came to Brasil to be with Brasilians. Not Sex-and-the-City.types. By dumping them, we'd made our position clear. We'd rather be with Brasilians. Their way, their country, rather than acting as we would at home only with cheap beer. That kind of sincerity goes a good way sometimes with Brasilians (I don't mean gdps. They'll always be one step ahead!)

[Jan 156]

The only food chain that Americans are at the top of is the Gravy Train for GDPs. Sure, there are other tourists visiting Lapa and I have had luck connecting with some of them, particularly Australians, but as far as non-pro Brazilian women are concerned, if you do not speak Portuguese you are dog food. That said, certainly there are non-pros in Brazil who speak English. Good luck with those too.You said it rather more concisely than I did!

As for non-pros that speak good English (or even those that don't) I've found "I'm staying in Copa" translates in their ears as "I'm a dirty monger that has come to Rio to shag as many women-for-money as I can." Any address is generally better than Copa when chatting to Carioca non-pros. Sure you can talk your way out of it, but Centro, Leme, Ipanema sounds much better. Bota is mega-cool! .

[Exec Talent]

You said it rather more concisely than I did!

As for non-pros that speak good English (or even those that don't) I've found "I'm staying in Copa" translates in their ears as "I'm a dirty monger that has come to Rio to shag as many women-for-money as I can." Any address is generally better than Copa when chatting to Carioca non-pros. Sure you can talk your way out of it, but Centro, Leme, Ipanema sounds much better. Bota is mega-cool! .You offered a great lesson and advice to those really wanting to make points with the locals. Recently I was in Mexico on business and heard over and over again how I wasn't like other gringos. I attributed it to how much time I spend in Brazil. I do not agree with everything that goes on here, but I do try to go with the flow. That doesn't mean I have stopped telling every kid I see throwing their candy wrappers in the street that a trash receptacle is just a few steps away or that I haven't been known to hit a few people with shopping carts when I was nice enough to leave room and they cut in front of me. It just means I bite my tongue most times I think of saying "well that is not how we do things in America."

As for knowing how to dance, GDPs are not the only ones with moves. I walked by a group of 10 year-old girls today who were seeing how low they could squat and how far they could throw out their butts. I just scratched my head and hoped there wasn't a priest or a guy trying to rent a room in his apartment nearby. Brazilian women love to dance and sing along with the music. If you really want to score points, learn the lyrics to some of the popular songs and sing along with them. By the end of the night, they are not only going to want to have sex with you but also will want to take you home to to meet their family.

[Euro100]

Chris,

Cool: "The girls are tall, blonde, skinny, sunglasses and designer shoes. They do that thing that when they walk into a room everyone knows they are the most important people in the room. Great dancers, lovely girls, but that is just not the Brasilian way. We ask them if it's maybe time to get a taxi. They think we are all getting one together. But we open the door, let them in, and shut it again bidding them a cheery goodnight."

Next time you want to get rid of girls like those, send them to me. As you know, I am not picky. (As long as I have a semi-clean place to take a dump, that is. Different story, though.)

Euro

[Sperto]

I know Americans are top of the food chain when we visit brazil, but does that make it easy to pick up on regular girls?
That was funny. :D
I think you are in for a surprise when you go to Brazil.

[Poucolouco]

I am greek recidence and holder of a Greek passport so I don't need a visa for entering brazil. I have the return leg of my sao paolo-rome-athens air ticket and I will be fly on October. Alitalia ina thens said me that they don't let me pass through check-in because I don't have a return ticket. I am thinking to buy a cheap condor air ticket (salvador-frankfurt for 299 euros)

Do you think with this I can resolve this problem?You should be able to prove to Alitalia that this is the return leg of your trip if you provide documentation of your Brasil arrival ticket. It would be on file with the airline on which you arrived. If it was an e-ticket, you can locate it with the confirmation number on your return ticket. It should also be available on-line with the issuing airline or travel agent.

[Bravo]

I have been renting from the same guy in Rio for going on 12 years now. Within the past year, his apartments have gone up from 50-100% An apartment that I used to pay 50 dollars a night for (leopoldo miguez, in front of the Princess Hotel) is now 75 dollars a night! I didn't know he had jacked up prices that high until I got here, because it was always 50 dollars a night, so I assumed it was the same price. I damn near fell out of the chair whn he told me that it was now 75 bucks a night. (For an apart that is 3 blocks from the beach, no internet and no cable, that sounds like a terrible price!)

My question to the board is "Is 75 dollars a night for a one bedroom apartment about right?" For that much, I expected a beach front, with internet and cable too. How much do nice studios go for? Let me know if I am on point or exepecting too much.

[Baggio67]

I have been renting from the same guy in Rio for going on 12 years now. Within the past year, his apartments have gone up from 50-100% An apartment that I used to pay 50 dollars a night for (leopoldo miguez, in front of the Princess Hotel) is now 75 dollars a night! I didn't know he had jacked up prices that high until I got here, because it was always 50 dollars a night, so I assumed it was the same price. I damn near fell out of the chair whn he told me that it was now 75 bucks a night. (For an apart that is 3 blocks from the beach, no internet and no cable, that sounds like a terrible price!)

My question to the board is "Is 75 dollars a night for a one bedroom apartment about right?" For that much, I expected a beach front, with internet and cable too. How much do nice studios go for? Let me know if I am on point or exepecting too much.I paid $80 per night 1 bedroom for a partial beach view at Rua Bolivar / Atlantica at the end of January which is the beginning of the high season. It had cable TV, Internet, and A / C.

[Sperto]

My question to the board is "Is 75 dollars a night for a one bedroom apartment about right?" For that much, I expected a beach front, with internet and cable too. How much do nice studios go for? Let me know if I am on point or exepecting too much.
Yes, apto prices have gone up.
I rent from the same guy for at least 15 years. Not so many years ago I used to pay R$50/night. Now I have to pay R$80 (and that's with a "buddy-discount"). 1 quarto+sala, AC, cable, close to ex-Help and half a block from the beach.
Even with those high prices it's hard to find decent apartments. The competition isn't from gringos, but brazilians.

I think an apartment the way you described should cost maximum R$100.

[Poucolouco]

My question to the board is "Is 75 dollars a night for a one bedroom apartment about right?" For that much, I expected a beach front, with internet and cable too. How much do nice studios go for? Let me know if I am on point or exepecting too much.The real estate market in Copacabana has skyrocketed in the past three years. The higher value of real estate has carried over to the seasonal rental market. One bedroom and studio apartments that ran for R$80 three years ago now rent for R$120 to upwards of R$200 depending on location and amenities. See Bubba Boy's comments on Brasilian inflation in the Rio de Janeiro thread today. Beach front for US$75? Yes, you are expecting too much.

[Bravo]

The real estate market in Copacabana has skyrocketed in the past three years. The higher value of real estate has carried over to the seasonal rental market. One bedroom and studio apartments that ran for R$80 three years ago now rent for R$120 to upwards of R$200 depending on location and amenities. See Bubba Boy's comments on Brasilian inflation in the Rio de Janeiro thread today. Beach front for US$75? Yes, you are expecting too much.How about expecting internet AND cable for 75 dollars a night? If I am 3 blocks from the beach, I expect a really nice place for that much. Then again, maybe I am out of touch because I have been renting from the same person all this time.

[Poucolouco]

How about expecting internet AND cable for 75 dollars a night? If I am 3 blocks from the beach, I expect a really nice place for that much. Then again, maybe I am out of touch because I have been renting from the same person all this time.True, it's rare that an owner does not provide internet and cable just to be competetive in today's market. However, you need to specify these things before you agree to the rental. When you are shopping at the bottom end of the price range, quality and amenities are not as good as a more expensive unit. As I said previously, your expectations are high for the price you want to pay in Copacabana.

[Rio Bob]

True, it's rare that an owner does not provide internet and cable just to be competetive in today's market. However, you need to specify these things before you agree to the rental. When you are shopping at the bottom end of the price range, quality and amenities are not as good as a more expensive unit. As I said previously, your expectations are high for the price you want to pay in Copacabana.


I agree, I recently reserved an apto and was shocked by the increase in price.



http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-real-estate/copacabana-getting-a-facelift/



http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-business/cost-of-living-soars-in-brazil/#

[Eric Cartman]

Anyone have any recent info on the scene in Curitiba? Have to go there on business in a few weeks. Can't seem to find any recent reports.

-Cartman

[Sperto]

Anyone have any recent info on the scene in Curitiba? Have to go there on business in a few weeks. Can't seem to find any recent reports.
-CartmanMaybe you find what you need in the Curitiba thread:
http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showthread.php?559-Curitiba

Not updated for a long time (like all the other threads, except Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo).

[Eric Cartman]

Not updated for a long time .Yep like I said, can't find good recent reports.

[Bravo]

I need help from the board. My buddy has a 4 hour layover in Rio and he wants to leave the airport, hit a nearby hotel and fuck a GDP for a couple of hours. Is there any hotels in Centro that are near the airport that he can be back in like 30-40 minutes?

[Poucolouco]

I need help from the board. My buddy has a 4 hour layover in Rio and he wants to leave the airport, hit a nearby hotel and fuck a GDP for a couple of hours. Is there any hotels in Centro that are near the airport that he can be back in like 30-40 minutes?Here are moteis in Centro, Gloria and Lapa. All are w / in 30. 40 minutes from Galeao and 10 minutes from Santos Dumont airports.

Amazonas. R. Alexandre Mackenzie. 122 – Centro 2233-5445.

Gallery. R. Camerino. 15. Centro 2263-2885.

Snob. Av. Henrique Valadares. 150. Centro 2509-21818.

Villa Regia. R. Sacadura Cabral. 136. Pça Mauá 2223-4104.

Vina Del Mar. R. Joaquim Silva. 57. Lapa 2509-1857.

Sheik. Av. Gomes Freire. 55. Centro 2221-3348.

Lips. R. Senador Dantas. 46. Centro 2210-3235.

Fênix. R. Do Senado. 189. Centro 2242-8004.

Fluminense. R. Dos Invalidos. 176. Centro 2252-0069

Feitiço. R. Do rezande. 58. Centro 2232-9569.

Challon Hotel- R. Cândido Mendes. 521 Glória, Sta Teresa. 2242-8826.

Magic. R. Santo Amaro. 11. Gloria 2507-2037.

Alameda. R. Candido Mendes. 118. Gloria 2509-7880.

Love Time. R. Do Catete. 63 – Gloria

[Lonzof]

I will be in Rio sept 07 and assume most centro termas and casas will be closed during this holiday. Can anyone with prior knowledge confirm?

Lonzof

[Member #3439]

I will be in Rio sept 07 and assume most centro termas and casas will be closed during this holiday. Can anyone with prior knowledge confirm?

LonzofNo one has responded with certainty, so I will advise.
Every Sunday they are closed, and last year I was there during the during World Cup games they were almost all closed during the BR games despite it being normal casa hours. I would plan on them being closed 9/7.

[Lonzof]

No one has responded with certainty, so I will advise.

Every Sunday they are closed, and last year I was there during the during World Cup games they were almost all closed during the BR games despite it being normal casa hours. I would plan on them being closed 9/7.Thanks for the reply p playa. I was planning a GFE on this day due the national holiday.

Lonzof

[Exec Talent]

5 dead. 30 injured.

http://oglobo.globo.com/rio/mat/2011/08/28/policia-faz-pericia-em-bonde-de-santa-teresa-apos-acidente-que-matou-cinco-pessoas-925231582.asp

http://amast.org.br/

http://news.yahoo.com/streetcar-derails-rio-killing-least-5-223335984.html

[Member #3439]

5 dead. 30 injured.

http://oglobo.globo.com/rio/mat/2011/08/28/policia-faz-pericia-em-bonde-de-santa-teresa-apos-acidente-que-matou-cinco-pessoas-925231582.asp

http://amast.org.br/

http://news.yahoo.com/streetcar-derails-rio-killing-least-5-223335984.htmlWow, that is harsh. Could have been anybody here too! I always think of riding it, and stay right up the street, but never have because the temptations of pussy in Centro apartments keep me too busy.

Incredibly insensitive AP article. 'It is not known if any foreigners are among the dead or injured.'. Are they more valuable than Brasileiros? WTF wrote something like that, filho da puta should be hung off the arches by his balls and left to dry

[Sperto]

Incredibly insensitive AP article. 'It is not known if any foreigners are among the dead or injured.'. Are they more valuable than Brasileiros? WTF wrote something like that, filho da puta should be hung off the arches by his balls and left to dry
Btw, there were three french, one portuguese and one english among the injured (and five dead brazilians and about 52 injured brazilians).
http://oglobo.globo.com/rio/mat/2011/08/28/bonde-que-descarrilou-em-santa-teresa-usava-arame-em-vez-de-parafuso-para-prender-peca-constata-crea-925231582.asp

[Java Man]

I do not agree that article was insensitive. Rio gets a lot of tourist, A lot of tourist ride the trolly. Target audience for AP is mostly intended for English speakers, it's HQ'd in NYC, BTW. Say you have family or friends in Rio, and are unable to get in contact with them. That article is intended for them.

The Oglobo report linked by Sperto has a nice picture, giving one, an idea of the disrepair of the trolly. There is a wire where a bolt should be.

157062

That part is next to the brake, which failed. Also the trolly was overloaded with passengers: 62 when only 40 allowed. AMAST, Associação de Moradores e Amigos de Santa Teresa, (Association of Residents and Friends of Santa Teresa) blames the state government for omissions and neglect of the tram system in the neighborhood. It was only a matter of time according to AMAST.

http://oglobo.globo.com/rio/mat/2011/08/28/associacao-de-moradores-amigos-de-santa-teresa-divulga-nota-sobre-acidente-com-bondinho-925231605.asp

[Member #3439]

I do not agree that article was insensitive. Rio gets a lot of tourist, A lot of tourist ride the trolly. Target audience for AP is mostly intended for English speakers, it's HQ'd in NYC, BTW. Say you have family or friends in Rio, and are unable to get in contact with them. That article is intended for them.Okay, agreed. Yes, NYC. But from from the perspective of the Brasileiros that I know, reading English, it may be misconstrued by them as EUA elitism and this is embarrasing to me as a person who deals with Brasilieiros who are my customers. And Dues forbid that anyone continue to perpetuate the concept of 'Ugly American' We Americanos are not ugly minded people. No matter what AP says or what the EUA politicians are pushing, most of us value other cultures and people as much as our own. Whenever I go to another country, people home say 'Wow, cool, what did you see there' The old days of Banana Republic are gone and we are okay people, post cold-war, a new breed, in case anyone is mislead. Unfortunately, due to large oceans, it is very expensive to travel from EUA to anywhere else, so with limited international experience, most people here including press are fairly ignorant when it comes to these things, don't have the tact to anticipate how something could be misconstrued by , for example, a Brasileiro reading a AP post.

[Poucolouco]

Wow, that is harsh. Could have been anybody here too! I always think of riding it, and stay right up the street, but never have because the temptations of pussy in Centro apartments keep me too busy.

Incredibly insensitive AP article. 'It is not known if any foreigners are among the dead or injured. '. Are they more valuable than Brasileiros? WTF wrote something like that, filho the puta should be hung off the arches by his balls and left to dryIn my opinion you are over reacting to the AP news release. It was timely, factual and accurate with the details that were available at the time of its release. AP picked up the story from G1 News, the on-line news service of O Globo. AP released the story as reported by G1 News immediately to the world wide press that use the AP news service. The more complete story that you see on O Globo, O Dia, JB online and other brasilian sites was compiled after their reporters had an opportunity to further research the accident and gather more information. The AP report did not state nor infer anything about the value of persons, foreign or domestic and it is illogical to imply that they would do so.

[Java Man]

I found a better picture of the trolly's brake held by wire on G1:

157081

Per G1, preliminary cause of crash is brake failure due to loss of air pressure, with the overcrowding of the trolly as a contributing factor.

[Poucolouco]

It's the Brasilian way.

Just days before the fatal accident on rua Joaquime Muritinho, a defect in the tracks prevented a descending streetcar from switching to the right side of the road as it made its return run to Lapa. No problema, the motorista, assisted by his cashier just drove on the ascending tracks to descend the mountain. Everyone was quite amused as oncoming cars switched lanes to dodge the descending streetcar and avoid head a collision. Fortunately they did not encounter an ascending streetcar on the same track until after they were able to find an operating switch and get back to the right side of the road.

Watch the video here:

http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/noblat/posts/2011/08/30/um-bonde-na-contramao-402009.asp

[Voyajer1]

damn near every single hotel in rio de janeiro has doubled the cost of lodging and will keep doing so every year until the events take place. i can't imagine what the cost will be once the world cup or the olympic bames take place. i plan on avoiding rio de janeiro for 6 to 8 months before and after each of those events just to insure i don't end up paying 8x's the cost of lodging even though they have not bought a single new piece of linen to justify the increase. the have as the locals mention "febre de ouro" and no one is trying to control this.

by the way, according to the locals i've spoken to, they do not plan on building any new hotels for any of the aforementioned events. they plan, at least in rio de janeiro, to expand the berths on the port of rio de janeiro to bring in cruise ships, just like the did when the super bowl took place in jacksonville, fl (anyone remember that crap) because there is no space to accomodate new construction (anyone, remember the old helpee hole on beachfront property?). unfortunately these high paying customers are in for a very rough ride because the ports happen to be located in ssome extremely decrepid and rough neighborhoods, filled with graffiti and crime. the security on the way to the games better be extremely tight.


recently when i called to reserve a room at one of my favorite love motels they informed me that they were now a hotel. they said my favorite suite was still available but the price had increased. looks like this is becoming a trend.

http://oglobo.globo.com/rio/mat/2011/09/03/de-olho-nas-olimpiadas-na-copa-moteis-passam-hospedar-turistas-925282953.asp

[Mr Enternational]

by the way, according to the locals i've spoken to, they do not plan on building any new hotels for any of the aforementioned events. they plan, at least in rio de janeiro, to expand the berths on the port of rio de janeiro to bring in cruise ships, just like the did when the super bowl took place in jacksonville, fl (anyone remember that crap) because there is no space to accomodate new construction (anyone, remember the old helpee hole on beachfront property?).speaking of which, how is the new sound and image museum?

[Voyajer1]

i was there sometime in july and it appears exactly the same as the pictures below with a couple of glaring exceptions:

- first, the lights that sorround the colorful fence that borders the site where the museum supposed to reside were gone. not a single bit of movement on the site except for the reappropriation of the lamps.

- second, the site has become the largest unflushable toilet in copacabana. the stench of [CodeWord109] (http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord109) and sh*t, both human and canine (yes, i've seen residents have their dogs do their business right on the fence, inside and outside, no clean up after the deed in some cases) makes the place unsanitary. that's why i took the pictures from afar.

that is, literally, one big sh*thole, pun intended! if there is a pile of dirt on the premises before the world cup, i will say there was real progress. jeez, they move so slowly downthere.


speaking of which, how is the new sound and image museum?

[Mr Enternational]

I was there sometime in July and it appears exactly the same as the pictures below with a couple of glaring exceptions:In other words it's about the same as it was a year and a half ago when they tore down the club and the restaurant?

[Exec Talent]

Speaking of which, how is the new sound and image museum?It hasn't changed since they demolished Help. My bet is that it will be a hotel with the site sold to the highest bidder. Claiming that the location would be used for a museum just made it easier politically to get rid of Help.

[Riofan6]

just returned to usofa this morning after 5 days in copa. there is construction activity on the help / museo site. peeking through the fence you can see lots of workers, lots of materials, pallets of cement and rebar and some kind of weird looking big-ass piece of machinery. it looks to me to be something for setting foundation walls / posts / supports. now whether it will become a museum or a hotel. time will tell.

[Exec Talent]

If you have Rio travel plans and have not check airfares recently, I suggest you do so. Almost overnight an economy class ticket has gone from $1000 to $1800. I thought maybe it had something to do with Rock in Rio, but checked in later in October and still over $1800 RT. Maybe the airlines think since the USD exchange has gone up that US tourists will now return to Rio. Or, maybe they are basing it on their load factors during Rock in Rio and the people pegging the rates are ignorant that a special event is driving the loads.

[Lonzof]

If you have Rio travel plans and have not check airfares recently, I suggest you do so. Almost overnight an economy class ticket has gone from $1000 to $1800. I thought maybe it had something to do with Rock in Rio, but checked in later in October and still over $1800 RT. Maybe the airlines think since the USD exchange has gone up that US tourists will now return to Rio. Or, maybe they are basing it on their load factors during Rock in Rio and the people pegging the rates are ignorant that a special event is driving the loads.I've been checking the rates with all major carriers since my return from Rio earlier this month. Rates are beyond $1, 500 from the midwest through mid 2012. I did find a fare for $1, 100 for mid Jan. I have that ticket on hold but would like to dream the rates will come down. Does not look good.

Lonzof

[Baggio67]

If you have Rio travel plans and have not check airfares recently, I suggest you do so. Almost overnight an economy class ticket has gone from $1000 to $1800. I thought maybe it had something to do with Rock in Rio, but checked in later in October and still over $1800 RT. Maybe the airlines think since the USD exchange has gone up that US tourists will now return to Rio. Or, maybe they are basing it on their load factors during Rock in Rio and the people pegging the rates are ignorant that a special event is driving the loads.Airfare is up across the board, even for flights within the US. I used to get fares from the Midwest to LA or Vegas for around $300-$500. I checked on a flight to Vegas the other day and the cheapest fare was $1000. This is the major carriers, not budget ones, Southwest or similar. I can't wait until they start implementing more fees for baggage.

[Exec Talent]

Airfare is up across the board, even for flights within the US. I used to get fares from the Midwest to LA or Vegas for around $300-$500. I checked on a flight to Vegas the other day and the cheapest fare was $1000. This is the major carriers, not budget ones, Southwest or similar. I can't wait until they start implementing more fees for baggage.Fortunately one of my companies is in the business of designing and implementing video conferencing solutions. When airfares go up organizations look for alternatives to business travel. In many ways the airlines remind me of Brazilians. They constantly are finding new ways to screw themselves all the while thinking they are getting over.

[Exec Talent]

After my post earlier today, I made a few phone calls questioning and a long time discussing one of the major carriers' pricing policies. I went back in tonight and now prices have returned to around $1000 again. BTW I did call BACC earlier today and the lowest fare they had for economy was $1500.

[Bravo]

Is it me or do Brasilians wear braces for a super long time? If I remember correctly, most people in the states only wear braces for 2-3 years. But I swear I know some GDPs who have had braces for 4-5 fucking years! And it wasnt like they had super buck teeth to begin with. Is it because its harder to fix our teeth once we are adults rather than teenage years?

[Sperto]

Is it me or do Brasilians wear braces for a super long time? If I remember correctly, most people in the states only wear braces for 2-3 years. But I swear I know some GDPs who have had braces for 4-5 fucking years! And it wasnt like they had super buck teeth to begin with. Is it because its harder to fix our teeth once we are adults rather than teenage years?I've noticed the same thing, but I don't know the answer to your question. To me it's a bit weird to see adults with braces in Brazil. Braces are expensive so it's a status thing using braces.

BTW, many dentists in Brazil are worthless.

[Exec Talent]

I've noticed the same thing, but I don't know the answer to your question. To me it's a bit weird to see adults with braces in Brazil. Braces are expensive so it's a status thing using braces.

BTW, many dentists in Brazil are worthless.In Rio many dentists who are not qualified practice orthodonics just for the money. However, if you look around it is not just the wealthy who have braces. It is pretty much everyone. The only way they can pay for them without a credit card or other source of financing is to pay the dentist by the visit. Therefore, the length of treatment has more to do with the time it takes them to pay off the dentist than it does with how long it takes to straighten their teeth. Keeping the braces on is a form of collateral. If the dentist took them off do you think he / she would ever get paid?

[MoneyShot]

Is Termas- Quatro X Quatro Still Open?

[Erectus Indicus]

Is Termas- Quatro X Quatro Still Open?If you skip the posts about hotels in the Rio de Janeiro thread, it would appear so.

I was there last month and it still is Disneyland, as someone once called it.

[Auriflama]

I was thinking about going to Rio for 2 during my 7 day trip to SP. What are my options of places to stay for 2 days.

Thanks

[Almotu]

I was thinking about going to Rio for 2 during my 7 day trip to SP. What are my options of places to stay for 2 days.

ThanksI don't know how far in advance you have to book your accommodations and what your budget is. As always it is best to rent an apartment for your stay in Rio. You might want to check out Trip Advisor and AirBnB to see if anything looks good to you during the time you need. Many places have reviews.

[Jan 156]

I don't know how far in advance you have to book your accommodations and what your budget is. As always it is best to rent an apartment for your stay in Rio. You might want to check out Trip Advisor and AirBnB to see if anything looks good to you during the time you need. Many places have reviews.I can't agree from my own experience. Apartments are great for slightly longer stays. For two nights, a hotel is far simpler.

[Exec Talent]

Copied from the Rio Reports thread.


I was one of the top scorers in my MBA finance class.
I hear you but you didn't get my point either. I make almost $15, 000 as a general manager of two companies...

Brazil night scene was so shitty in my past vacation that I was watch DVDs instead in my apt after doing a Terma run + an escort outcall every other day.So, you were not the TOP student in your MBA class and not even the TOP student in your finance class. Sad.


You are not the majority shareholder, president or even vice-president of the company for whom you work. You are JUST the general manager. Sad.


When you reach a place in life worth bragging about, call your mother and let her know. She might be interested. I doubt it. But, certainly more than anyone here.



I travel to Rio about 10 times a year and stay anywhere from a week to several months. Finding things to do at night is never a problem.


The only reason I have brought to people's attention the increased costs of geting to and staying in Rio is that many members may not have been to Rio in awhile or this might be their first time. One of the worst things that could happen to someone is they arrive in Rio without a place to stay thinking they are going to just walk into a hotel a get a reasonably priced room. Even if they searched this forum and saw what people had paid in the past. That is not relevant to how much they will pay in Rio today, even during off season.

[Bubba Boy]

Copied from the Rio Reports thread.

So, you were not the TOP student in your MBA class and not even the TOP student in your finance class. Sad.

You are not the majority shareholder, president or even vice-president of the company for whom you work. You are JUST the general manager. Sad.

When you reach a place in life worth bragging about, call your mother and let her know. She might be interested. I doubt it. But, certainly more than anyone here.Chrisdrug, do yourself a favour and go to Monaco, sit in a nice spot above the harbour and look at all the yachts below. Each one of them are worth a few million to $350million. The owners of these boats could, but probably won't, brag about being worth something in the financial world. You probably don't have the finances on hand to fill the gas tank up on one of those Yachts, which could run $250k on some of the bigger ones. So until you actually achieve a financial status worth something (probably $5million or above) , probably not the best to brag about your above average but nothing special salary or education.

[Poucolouco]

Recent discussions commented on the increase of fat chicks in Rio. Brazilian obesity is growing, and fast. According to the ministry of health. 11. 4% of the population suffered from obesity in 2006. In 2010, this number grew to 15. Almost half of Brazilians are now overweight. In the next 10 years, this will rise to 60% of the population.

Now comes this: "Student. 21 elected Miss Plus Size Carioca. 2011". Weighing in at 213 pounds Géssica Carneiro was considered the most beautiful Gordinha of Rio. Ironically the third-place contestant works as a nutritionist. G1 Globo: http://g1.globo.com/rio-de-janeiro/n...ioca-2011.html

[Prosal]

Recent discussions commented on the increase of fat chicks in Rio. Brazilian obesity is growing, and fast. According to the ministry of health. 11. 4% of the population suffered from obesity in 2006. In 2010, this number grew to 15. Almost half of Brazilians are now overweight. In the next 10 years, this will rise to 60% of the population.According the WHO, about 22% of the adult (20+) female population suffered from obesity in Brasil in 2008. I've read somewhere that it had increased to 27% since then. Dunno about the overweight numbers, but 50% or more seems accurate from what one can see on the beaches.

http://www.who.int/gho/countries/bra.pdf

The myth of the paradise filled with slender beauties in bikinis is harshly dashed. (smilie)

[Sperto]

Anybody got experience of bringing a bicycle to Brazil. Did the brazilian customs give you a hard time?

[Rio Bob]

Anybody got experience of bringing a bicycle to Brazil. Did the brazilian customs give you a hard time?Yeah I want to do that too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP0biz9e7bo&feature=related

[Sperto]

Yeah I want to do that too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP0biz9e7bo&feature=relatedNice video.

A bike in Rio would be great to have. There are lots of pistas all over the city.

BTW, no women in the world bike like brazilian women. Almost like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULjZgsxdSL0

[Sperto]

Here is a list of some brazilian airlines. Some airlines have destinations all over Brazil and others are very regional.

www.tam.com.br

www.voegol.com.br

viajemais.voeazul.com.br

www.webjet.com.br

www.voetrip.com.br

www.voerico.com.br

www.voemeta.com

www.voesete.com.br

www.voesol.com.br

www.voepantanal.com.br

www.voenht.com.br

www.pumaair.com.br

Unless I'm going to a small city in the Amazon I usually find TAM or GOL to be the cheapest.
The list isn't complete so feel free to complete it.

[Sperto]

Apparently a summer hit in Brazil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcm55lU9knw

The lyrics is quite easy to learn.

Nossa, nossa
Assim você me mata
Ai se eu te pego, ai ai se eu te pego

Delícia, delícia
Assim você me mata
Ai se eu te pego, ai ai se eu te pego

Sábado na balada
A galera começou a dançar
E passou a menina mais linda
Tomei coragem e comecei a falar

Nossa, nossa
Assim você me mata
Ai se eu te pego, ai ai se eu te pego

Delícia, delícia
Assim você me mata
Ai se eu te pego, ai ai se eu te pego

Sábado na balada
A galera começou a dançar
E passou a menina mais linda
Tomei coragem e comecei a falar

Nossa, nossa
Assim você me mata
Ai se eu te pego, ai ai se eu te pego

Delícia, delícia
Assim você me mata
Ai se eu te pego, ai ai se eu te pego

[Golfinho]

Here is a list of some brazilian airlines. Some airlines have destinations all over Brazil and others are very regional.

Unless I'm going to a small city in the Amazon I usually find TAM or GOL to be the cheapest.TAM on Star Alliance has been a game changer for domestic travel (and Mercosur) in Brazil. Reward travel at 12, 500 miles plus incredibly low fees, like $8 for some. For each roundtrip to Brazil (as gold) that's two virtually free flights in country.

[Fast Eddie 48]

Airfare is up across the board, even for flights within the US. I used to get fares from the Midwest to LA or Vegas for around $300-$500. I checked on a flight to Vegas the other day and the cheapest fare was $1000. This is the major carriers, not budget ones, Southwest or similar. I can't wait until they start implementing more fees for baggage.To Baggio,

High fuel cost you can fly to Hong kong for 1100 USD and then ferry to Macau, cost of fuel is too high so the low fare to LV is history even out of LA is lowest is 160 USD round trip just go to Asia p4p is much cheaper than in Sao paulo Brazil the damn Riel is just too damn strong.

Fast Eddie 48

[Sperto]

High fuel cost you can fly to Hong kong for 1100 USD and then ferry to Macau, cost of fuel is too high so the low fare to LV is history even out of LA is lowest is 160 USD round trip just go to Asia p4p is much cheaper than in Sao paulo Brazil the damn Riel is just too damn strong.
Fast Eddie 48
Fast Eddie, in what way do you mean that the strong currency of Cambodia, Riel, makes Sao Paulo expensive?

[Albert Punter]

Fast Eddie, in what way do you mean that the strong currency of Cambodia, Riel, makes Sao Paulo expensive?I believe he meant Real, which by the way devaluated a little bit in the past couple of months.

[Brazil Specialist]

Great list.

From my experience, webjet is by far the cheapest. IF they fly to the destination.

Also webjet is very strict. Absolutely no forgiveness for excess baggage. The first time in my life the caught me with my carry on being beyond the maximum weight (I believe 5 kg) and charged me for excess.

Gol is great if you are registered for their specials that are on sale only for a day or two.


Here is a list of some brazilian airlines. Some airlines have destinations all over Brazil and others are very regional.

www.tam.com.br

www.voegol.com.br

viajemais.voeazul.com.br

www.webjet.com.br

www.voetrip.com.br

www.voerico.com.br

www.voemeta.com

www.voesete.com.br

www.voesol.com.br

www.voepantanal.com.br

www.voenht.com.br

www.pumaair.com.br

Unless I'm going to a small city in the Amazon I usually find TAM or GOL to be the cheapest.

The list isn't complete so feel free to complete it.

[Rio Bob]

Funny too:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,803441,00.html

German Bank Probes Staff Over Rio Sex Claims

German mortgage bank Wüstenrot took 50 high-performing sales staff to Rio last year as a reward for their good work, but is now being embarrassed by reports that some of them had sex with prostitutes on the trip. A tour bus apparently took employees directly to a shady nightclub, while one director was allegedly caught on the beach with a prostitute.

Germany's oldest building society, Wüstenrot, has been left red-faced by revelations that several of its staff visited a brothel during an expenses-paid trip to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro to reward them for their services.

The company said in a statement it was checking whether individual staff members broke the company's code of conduct on the six-day trip from April 27 to May 2 last year, which was organized "to promote and reward the especially excellent performance of our sales staff."

According to a report in business daily Handelsblatt on Tuesday, the company flew 50 employees to Rio. The firm's auditors later found out that between 14 and 20 of them had visited the nightclub "Barbarella," an establishment where people go to meet prostitutes. At least three employees, including senior ones, had gone to rooms with prostitutes, the newspaper reported.

"There was some heavy partying in the hotel corridors," Handelsblatt quoted one trip participant as saying. "The Brazilian police seized one of our directors at night on the beach in the company of a prostitute."

Sources close to the company said Wüstenrot had organized a bus tour through Rio after which up to two dozen staff members had decided of their own accord to hit the nightclub and make contact with prostitutes. Some 40 people who were on the trip have given statements.

The company said the nocturnal activities of some of its staff members were their own private activities. "We don't support, organize or finance any activities that breach our code of contact," Wüstenrot said in a statement on Monday. "But we are taking the matter very seriously. That is why we are currently checking intensively whether individual participants breached our codes of conduct or legal rules." It said it would take disciplinary measures against staff if any wrongdoing was found.

In May, German insurance firm Ergo made headlines when it emerged that it had hosted a sex party for high-performing staff members in a bathhouse in Budapest, Hungary, in 2007.

'Ferried to a Brothel'

According to Handelsblatt, the female tour guide had recommended the nightclub to Wüstenrot staff. "The bus doors opened and around half the group got out, including departmental managers and directors," the newspaper quoted a member of the group as saying. "I thought: That's unbelievable that Wüstenrot is ferrying us to a brothel here."

According to Wüstenrot, the official itinerary consisted of tourist destinations such as Sugarloaf mountain and the Maracana football stadium. The company said it expected its staff to stick to company codes of conduct but that it it "was neither desirable nor possible to monitor the private lives of employees."

In order to prevent a recurrence, Wüstenrot has scrapped corporate visits to exotic destinations. "As a first measure, it was decided that from 2012 only destinations in Germany will be used for incentive trips," the company said.

Wüstenrot is Germany's second-largest building society with 3 million customers and contracts totalling €100 billion.

Bild newspaper printed what it said was a photo of a Wüstenrot employee standing on a beach, his face pixelated, surrounded by three attractive young Brazilian women in bikinis.

"Who knows: Perhaps some of the prostitutes now have a Wüstenrot mortgage savings contract," the newspaper quipped.

[Erectus Indicus]

Funny too:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0

1518, 803441, 00. Html.

German Bank Probes Staff Over Rio Sex Claims. .Should be investigated for going to Barbarella rather than Luomo or MC.

Had a look at the Bild pictures, couldn't fault a man for spending some time with the 2 mulatas in the pictures. Hope they get off than get fired (other than those that went to Barbarella)

[Hotman 666]

[QUOTE
In order to prevent a recurrence, Wüstenrot has scrapped corporate visits to exotic destinations."As a first measure, it was decided that from 2012 only destinations in Germany will be used for incentive trips," the company said.[/QUOTE]

Hmmmmm,

ABSOLUTLY NO chance of finding any brothels in a GERMAN city is there?

Yeh, RIGHT!

Hotman

[Pilfers22]

This looks like it might be the perfect solution to carrying a digital camera into the termas. A digital camera flash drive:

http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/shop/paul-smith-gifts-420/paul-smith-gifts-clap-mini-usb-camera-resr-powr-clapc-b/product.html

First try uploading photos, apologies if it didn't work.

[Brazil Specialist]

Any visa service? Seems there is not even a Brazilian embassy in Afghanistan.

Will he have to send his passport to a Visa service? To a consulate? Which one? Then maybe he cannot travel to the US if he has no passport?

He will arrive in a few weeks and just found out he needs a visa.

[Mr Enternational]

Any visa service? Seems there is not even a Brazilian embassy in Afghanistan.

Will he have to send his passport to a Visa service? To a consulate? Which one? Then maybe he cannot travel to the US if he has no passport?

He will arrive in a few weeks and just found out he needs a visa.If he is in the military then he will have to come back to US soil first anyway. And a visa only takes a few days. So it would be best for him to send his passport to a service once he gets home unless there is a Brazilian consulate in his city where he can go directly. Better make sure he even has a passport. Most active duty military people do not have one. If he is a contractor then he definitely has one.

[Eric Cartman]

This looks like it might be the perfect solution to carrying a digital camera into the termas. A digital camera flash drive:

http://www.paulsmith.co.uk/shop/paul-smith-gifts-420/paul-smith-gifts-clap-mini-usb-camera-resr-powr-clapc-b/product.html

First try uploading photos, apologies if it didn't work.Every cellphone basically has a camera in it now, and I haven't seen issues with mobiles in termas recently.

Regarding the Building Society german thing below, why was the director "seized on the beach by Brazilian police"?

[Brazil Specialist]

every cellphone basically has a camera in it now, and i haven't seen issues with mobiles in termas recently.

regarding the building society german thing below, why was the director "seized on the beach by brazilian police"?good question. it is explained nowhere.

most likely: police saw a gringo with a couple of young brazilian chicks. hoping to score big bribes for **** conviction, they approached. girl had no i'd. you get hauled to the police station (or pay up a lot of money). eventually mom brings the i'd and you are released from police station. or maybe if you pay off police they actually check her i'd online and find out she is over 18. or you pay a lot more if she is not.

i keep telling people: any girl looking under 35 years of age, in your apartment or even talking on the street must have i'd at all times proving she is over 18.

[Safado69]

So I haven't been in Brazil since last October. This past Friday I tried to use my debit card for my daily mocha and it was declined. Immediately I thought that was strange so I went online and sure enough there were rental car purchases in Florianopolis, restaurants and hotels with unfamiliar Brazilian Portuguese names. Total damage was approximately $1, 200. So I call my bank and apparently they blocked the card bc there were several other attempts at other vendors where the card was declined. Fortunately I received a provincial debit to my account for all the funds after I went through the claims process.

Point of my report I believe someone posted a prior report warning about a scam with copying credit cards some time ago. I do remember at Meia Pattaca a waiter taking my card and not swiping it in front of me and returning with my bill. Very unusual practice.

Thought I'd share as this is still going on.

[Mr Enternational]

So I haven't been in Brazil since last October. This past Friday I tried to use my debit card for my daily mocha and it was declined. Immediately I thought that was strange so I went online and sure enough there were rental car purchases in Florianopolis, restaurants and hotels with unfamiliar Brazilian Portuguese names. Total damage was approximately $1, 200. So I call my bank and apparently they blocked the card bc there were several other attempts at other vendors where the card was declined. Fortunately I received a provincial debit to my account for all the funds after I went through the claims process.

Point of my report I believe someone posted a prior report warning about a scam with copying credit cards some time ago. I do remember at Meia Pattaca a waiter taking my card and not swiping it in front of me and returning with my bill. Very unusual practice.

Thought I'd share as this is still going on.It's not just happening in Brazil. In November there was fraud on my HSBC check card in the States. I asked how they were able to pick it up since I travel so much and do not have an established pattern. I don't think they even knew. They sent me another card and lo and behold on December 24th the same thing happened with the new card. That time they sent me a fraud claim form that I had to sign and send back. The first time they just said okay you didn't do it. It is really strange because I generally only use the account to send out checks to pay bills online and make withdrawals from overseas ATMs. The last time I had used the first card in an ATM was in October in Colombia. I only make a Point of Sale purchase with it every now and then. Before November this has never happened to me. Then to strike two months in a row? Before that every time they contacted me when fraud was in question it was actually me using my card.

[Jan 156]

In this week's print edition also.

http://www.economist.com/node/21543210

[Bravo]

I was watching the movie City of Men this weekend and I had a question about a song on the soundtrack. The scene where Acerola reluctantly attends the baile funk party at the favela that they ran to when theirs was captured. Does anyone know the name of the baile funk song that they were dancing to? I looked on Amazon for the soundtrack but all the songs from the movie are not listed.

[Bravo]

good question. it is explained nowhere.

most likely: police saw a gringo with a couple of young brazilian chicks. hoping to score big bribes for **** conviction, they approached. girl had no i'd. you get hauled to the police station (or pay up a lot of money). eventually mom brings the i'd and you are released from police station. or maybe if you pay off police they actually check her i'd online and find out she is over 18. or you pay a lot more if she is not.

i keep telling people: any girl looking under 35 years of age, in your apartment or even talking on the street must have i'd at all times proving she is over 18.or it might be a situation where he was caught fucking a gdp on the beach at night. from my window on bolivar, many times i have seen the police hide behind the bushes / shrubs of closed cafes and watch couples on the beach across atlantica ave. i am sure they are trying to bust them for having sex at night on the beach.

why would a girl need i'd if you are only having a conversation with her on the street? what law are you breaking by talking to a girl who is ****? i only ask because many times i have stood in front of meia pataca and bought peanuts and gum from some of the young girls, i would be interested to know what law i am breaking by doing that.

[Kingfish1]

For parties and hot women, which is better Rio or Sao Pablo?

Thank you in advance

[WhoIsIt]

Ok guys, I've been in Rio for a couple of weeks now. On my third day here I met this woman that a friend introduced me to. We met in the afternoon for coffee, and then we moved to the beach. Her parents live in Copa, so that is where we met. She is totally not a GDP (she works in one the best restaurants in Rio as a Chef) , and we had a great time. I usually hate Copa because of the way they treat gringos there. Anyway, after coffee we had a few drinks at a dive bar she knows. Then she wants to walk on the beach. By this time it is around 8:30 or 9:00 at night. The lights were on and bright, but it had been raining so there weren't too many people around. So we drop down in the sand and almost immediately she is unzipping my fly. Of course I am rock hard by this time and she flips me over and starts going down on me. She had a short summer dress on (halter top type) and she rolls me over on top of her (somehow her dress top came down and she was all legs in the air!). So proceeded to go to it right there on the beach (with a very short pause to condom up). It was so hot! Here's the best (worst) part; when we finished, we heard applause from nearby. Unbeknownst to us, a small crowd had gathered and they were totally just standing there watching. She seemed to love it (in fact, now that I am thinking about it I think this may be her thing).

Anyway, this could only happen in Rio. It was dangerous, but I ticked a good few boxes off my bucket list that night.

If anyone wants to get together I will be in Rio for a few more weeks.

[Exec Talent]

For parties and hot women, which is better Rio or Sao Pablo?

Thank you in advanceI think we all agreed it was the FSU. Women there have the most awesome legs, especially their calves.

[Eric Cartman]

For parties and hot women, which is better Rio or Sao Pablo?

Thank you in advanceWTF is Sao Pablo? And please RTTF.

[Prosal]

I think we all agreed it was the FSU. Women there have the most awesome legs, especially their calves.No need to to be so embittered (despite your allegedly "wild" success stories with frebies in Lapa, pics to come BTW?). Yes, FSU women are wilder, it is a pure fact. (rolleyes)

[Brazil Specialist]

all over the world, age of consent laws get tougher and tougher. the ages creep up, enforcement gets stronger. punishments higher. and lighter and lighter behaviors become offensive. in the 70'ies rock stars had masses of 15 year old groupies, mick jagger and charlie chaplin married some really young girls (13 i think) and nobody thought much of it. if there were any age of consent laws on the book, they were for sexual intercourse. now they are for touching, kissing, talking (grooming) and chatting on the internet.

in places were the age of consent is 16, you can have sex with her, even marry her, but beware of photographing your wife (child porn) , chatting with your girlfriend on the internet (grooming over the internet) , inviting someone or get into **** role play. ever seen.

"catch a predator"? (http://human-stupidity.com/stupid-dogma/teenage-sexuality/to-catch-a-predator-nbc-witch-hunt)

spoof (http://human-stupidity.com/humor/funny-videos/****-sex-entrapment-catch-a-predator-spoof)

have you seen italian tv crews filming guys on fortaleza beach, talking to **** girls and hanging out with them? you talk to them, you are a suspect. i know people who got in trouble for talking to 17 year olds on copacabana beach. or for hanging out with a 23 year old without i'd. you are unaware of the legal maxim "guilty until proven innocent" that is valid for all sex crimes (see strauss kahn).

in brazil things are a little more relaxed. you can actually be thankful that police is more interested in getting bribes out of you then locking you away. but, the occasional cover story on globo newspaper of a handcuffed gringo (or, rarely, a brazilian) is good for professional image and promotion, and for scaring the next guy into paying tens of thousands of bribes to avoid such a fate.

yes, brazilians get away with more. my lawyer sent police packing and running after being picked up getting a bj from a 16 year old in his car. but, if the girl or her mom wanted to go after him, he would have a hard time. and a coronel of the firefighters was picked up in a motel with a 15 year old and got in deep trouble. in brazil, a hotel owner and clerk get a few years in jail if they give a room to a 17 year old without a notarized permission of the parents.

so if you talk to an under 18 girls, you'd better prove you had no intent, she is not a pro, you never fucked her, etc. i am actually surprised they never set up anyone for talking to the chiclets girls at help. i always avoided them as good as i could. but believe me, there were 17 year old gdp's with the explicit intent to frame gringos. and there were other 17 year olds with nicely forged i'd (or with someone else's i'd) who plied their profession unopposed at help. i know because i kicked one of these out of my apartment and heard reports of her working at help for months and months. this girl had no intent setting anyone up, but might collaborate with police once she got caught.

now how to i'd a girl before you talk to her on the beach walk, that is a problem. or it is extremely embarrassing if you bring a group of kids home from the gym, for a beer, and you have to i'd them. oh, **** boys are the same problem, even though you might not even have thought of them as sex objects. sorry i did not make these laws, thank your friendly feminists and the religious right.


or it might be a situation where he was caught fucking a gdp on the beach at night. from my window on bolivar, many times i have seen the police hide behind the bushes / shrubs of closed cafes and watch couples on the beach across atlantica ave. i am sure they are trying to bust them for having sex at night on the beach.

why would a girl need i'd if you are only having a conversation with her on the street? what law are you breaking by talking to a girl who is ****? i only ask because many times i have stood in front of meia pataca and bought peanuts and gum from some of the young girls, i would be interested to know what law i am breaking by doing that.

[Brazil Specialist]

So I haven't been in Brazil since last October. This past Friday I tried to use my debit card for my daily mocha and it was declined. Immediately I thought that was strange so I went online and sure enough there were rental car purchases in Florianopolis, restaurants and hotels with unfamiliar Brazilian Portuguese names. Total damage was approximately $1, 200. So I call my bank and apparently they blocked the card bc there were several other attempts at other vendors where the card was declined. Fortunately I received a provincial debit to my account for all the funds after I went through the claims process.

Point of my report I believe someone posted a prior report warning about a scam with copying credit cards some time ago. I do remember at Meia Pattaca a waiter taking my card and not swiping it in front of me and returning with my bill. Very unusual practice.

Thought I'd share as this is still going on.Lots of stories about cloned credit cards. I only use mine in highly reputable businesses (large department stores and expensive hotels). I also try to always use banco do Brazil ATMs in places that have 24 hour guards (thus nobody can mount cloning equipment). Never had a problem with cloning in decades. HSBC has a bad rap for cloning, they seem not to watch their equipment carefully enough.


In this week's print edition also.

http://www.economist.com/node/21543210Thanks for the interesting article. There is an even easier way for small business. If a garota wants to legalize her business, send her to that site http://www.portaldoempreendedor.gov.br

Unfortunately, the following quote from the article is true. You have unlimited liability for taxes and labor law suits. And these law suits can be frivolous and the values can be HUGE. I can tell from my own experience. R$ 200 000 tax liability for taxes already paid, R$ 200 000 employee benefits for a guy that a) made 800 per month and be) never worked for me.


If he is in the military then he will have to come back to US soil first anyway. And a visa only takes a few days. So it would be best for him to send his passport to a service once he gets home unless there is a Brazilian consulate in his city where he can go directly. Better make sure he even has a passport. Most active duty military people do not have one. If he is a contractor then he definitely has one.Thanks for the reply. The guy seems a contractor, will not go through the US. And he had some Visa department take care of his Visa (still has not gotten it, though)

[Exec Talent]

I didn't even know I was bittered.

Interestingly ran into one of those FSU girls in central Rio the other day. With guidebook in hand, she was looking for a historic church near Rio Branco and Rosario. She was very hot, so Prosal, you get no arguments from me about FSU women.

[HungryStud101]

I will be staying with friends over Carnaval and I want to bring the family some presents from the USA. I am thinking about a Kindel Fire and maybe some other "stocking stuffer" type things. I thought I heard someone say electronics are outlandish in Brazil. A penny for your thoughts here.

[Making Moves]

Hey guys,

I was wondering outside of paying for pros and maybe shopping how much should one budget per day in Rio? I'm going there for the first time next week Wednesday and wanted a rough day / day budget and I'll take it from there.

Thank you

[Sui Generis]

I will be staying with friends over Carnaval and I want to bring the family some presents from the USA. I am thinking about a Kindel Fire and maybe some other "stocking stuffer" type things. I thought I heard someone say electronics are outlandish in Brazil. A penny for your thoughts here.Almost eveything is out of price in Brazil when you compare it with the USA (or Canada).

Las year, for example, I had a strange request from a Brazilian fellow monger to bring from Canada a pair of Evo CX II 320tpi tires for his bike. He said that the prices for these Italian tires were exorbitant in Brazil when compared with those in Canada.

Habitually, for a man, I bring as a gift a bottle of Canadian Whisky (like a Crown Royal Special Reserve) or a Scotch Whiskey. I may also bring fine or gourmet products that are typically Québécois such as Maple Syrup, maple syrup products, Icewine, Pinnacle Ice Cider, etc.

Electronics devices seems to be a good idea though.

For women you may think of perfumes, clothes, electronics or electric devices also (a vibrator?).

The list can be endless.

[MoneyShot]

Hey guys,

I was wondering outside of paying for pros and maybe shopping how much should one budget per day in Rio? I'm going there for the first time next week Wednesday and wanted a rough day / day budget and I'll take it from there.

Thank youI found Rio Quite Cheap but I did a lot of walking, taking Metro not Taxi etc. Also got a good exchange Rate $1 US. 1.80 Real from Bobby@'Blame it on Rio' Rua Xavier the Silveira. 15.

Copacabana.

I would want around 100 Brazilian Real a Day Min.

[Making Moves]

I found Rio Quite Cheap but I did a lot of walking, taking Metro not Taxi etc. Also got a good exchange Rate $1 US. 1.80 Real from Bobby@'Blame it on Rio' Rua Xavier the Silveira. 15.

Copacabana.

I would want around 100 Brazilian Real a Day Min.Ok that's how much I had budgeted actually.

Thank you very much.

[Exec Talent]

I found Rio Quite Cheap but I did a lot of walking, taking Metro not Taxi etc. Also got a good exchange Rate $1 US. 1.80 Real from Bobby@'Blame it on Rio' Rua Xavier the Silveira. 15.

Copacabana.

I would want around 100 Brazilian Real a Day Min.Maybe compared to Zurich, Tokyo or Hong Kong, but compared to most US cities, Rio is quite expensive. Was at Balcony the other night and had two caipirinhas (R$ 15) and two draft beers (R$ 6) which with tip came to R$ 46. The exchange rate is back down (USD:BRL- 1. 73) so that is about $26. My girl was feeling frisky, so we stopped by the Praia Lido Hotel where she was quoted R$150 for two hours. She went in alone, so they probably assumed she was a GDP with a Gringo and included the Gringo tax and GDP commission in the price. For less than R$150, we went down to rua Siqueira Campos and had a nice dinner at Carretão.

http://www.praialidohotel.com.br/index_eng.html

http://www.carretaochurrascaria.com.br/br/copacabana

[Ipanema Carioca]

I'm not sure if I can post this here, but let's see what happens. I read this today on a Rio oriented blog. It was posted today.

http://riosul123.********.com/2012/02/american-shot-in-robbery-attempt-in-rio.html

[Sunset Strip]

The live links for Carnaval online are updated here regularly:

http://braziltravelcenter.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/watch-carnival-live-watch-brazilian-carnaval-live-online-free/

[Java Man]

Oglobo TV online streaming LIVE Sao Paulo's Carnaval Parade. Hope they do it for Rio's parade.

http://g1.globo.com/sao-paulo/carnaval/2012/desfile-apuracao/cobertura/

[Sunset Strip]

O Globo usually does stream Rio's last few days online. In fact, there is already a link set up for Rio, though it is not operational at the moment.

[Java Man]

O Globo usually does stream Rio's last few days online. In fact, there is already a link set up for Rio, though it is not operational at the moment.This the link you referring to:

http://g1.globo.com/rio-de-janeiro/carnaval/2012/cobertura/

[The Cane]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/carnival-a-beginners-guid_n_1279894.html?ref=travel&icid=maing-grid7

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/brazil-air-travel-demand-_n_1231914.html?ref=airlines

[Sunset Strip]

Yes, Java. Hopefully it will be working later today.

SS

[TimboSlice]

Hello, everyone, I have one more week before my first trip to Rio and SP for 11 days, I read through most of Bubba Boy's Rio Guide (BTW, very good info, thank you Bubba!) and the last 12 pages here of "General Info", and I'm not sure if I missed it, but I'm really looking for tips for solo travelers, most of the guide talk seems like he's always with friends or a group of people; for what I understand don't go to the slums, beaches after dark, but should I always take a cab at night and not walk the streets or the metro solo?

Really I'm just wondering what's your tips when your solo? Also does anyone have any other additional tips for newbies, or a must see or do that maybe forgotten in the guide.

Thanks all!

And if anyone would like to meet and hang, I'm just a easy going middle class worker from the US, nope I don't have top class degrees and a big six figure salary

[Bravo]

How in the hell do I buy tickets to see the UFC 147 at the Estádio João Havelange Stadium? I heard different reports. 1) the tickets don't go on sale until May. 2) The tickets are sold out already, they were sold online.

I missed out on the going to see the ufc last year because the fucking Barra HSBC center would never give a date of when the damn tickets would go on sale! I had to have people call each and every week to see when they would sell the ickets and the office would say "Keep checking back".

I would really like to go to Rio to see this fight, can anyone tell me how I cna get tickets to this event? Thanks

[Java Man]

How in the hell do I buy tickets to see the UFC 147 at the Estádio João Havelange Stadium? I heard different reports. 1) the tickets don't go on sale until May. 2) The tickets are sold out already, they were sold online.

I missed out on the going to see the ufc last year because the fucking Barra HSBC center would never give a date of when the damn tickets would go on sale! I had to have people call each and every week to see when they would sell the ickets and the office would say "Keep checking back".

I would really like to go to Rio to see this fight, can anyone tell me how I cna get tickets to this event? ThanksHave you checked UFC. Com? You can buy tickets through them. UFC 147 not on the site yet. They have tickets on sale for a fight in Sweden 4/14. I'd think they'll have tickets for the Rio date. They also can book travel for you.

http://www.ufc.com/schedule/event

[QuackUp]

During my stay I ate all over the place. From the guy selling chicken skewers on the street to nice romantic restaurants. Lots and lots of by the kilo restaurants in downtown but here are some of the exceptional places I ate at.

For lunch: Symbols, located on Av. Almirante Barroso. 139. It is a by the kilo place but upscaled. Nice atmostphere and good food. For the steaks, they cook it right there in front of you and they have Japanese food there also.

At night this place turns into a nightclub which my friend says is pretty good. My friend paid for the lunch so I don't know exactly how much it was per kilo, but my friend said it is a little more expensive than the by the kilo places nearby.

To get here. Take the metro, get off at Carioca and instead of going left to Rio Branco 156, make a right. Go to the signal and that should be Av. Almirante Barroso. Cross Rio Branco and head towards Praca 15 and just look for the 139 block. There are a couple of restaurants there but look for the Symbol sign.

Close by is a restaurant called the Da Silva. It is a Portuguesse restaurant. All you can eat buffet for are$56. 00 without drinks. It is located on the fourth floor and there is another restaurant on this floor but it only has an ala carte menu. Make sure you go to the buffet.

The address is Av Graca Aranha N 187, 4 andar. The restaurant gets crowded at noon and loud. If you can try and get there before noon or after 13:30.

Restaurant Intihuasi. If you get tired of Brazilian food this restaurant serves up Peruvian food. I had the lomo saltado which was a little different from how they make in back in L. A. But was still, very good. This restaurant is very small, I think maybe 6 tables.

The address is Rua Barao Do Flamengo. 35. To get there by metro, get off at the Largo de Machado station and it is about two blocks away.

[QuackUp]

For dinner, I recommend these two places. Guy Bistro. This is a French restaurant located on Rua Fonte the Saudade. 187.

The food was on the expensive side but really good. Not alot of tables here either. The bad news, it was kind of far from my hotel so the taxi ride cost about are$36. 00.

Restaurant Entretapas. A Spanish tapas place located at Rua Conde De Inaja 115 Botafogo. This is the place I took Renata, the girl from Centro Suzy to. She was very impressed with the place. She loves Spanish food but the only bad thing was they only serve Paella on the weekends. We went on a Wednesday night. Usually at a Spanish restaurant, I get the paella and a couple of tapas. Instead we order 4 tapas which were very good and still had leftover which I told her to take home.

[QuackUp]

Here are a couple of nice restaurants in Sao Paulo.

Vicolo Nostro. Rua Jataituba. 29. Very good Italian restaurant. This is where I took the girl from Connections to. She had the pasta, I had the fish. The fish just melted in my mouth. Only bad thing, far from my hotel. I believe it is located in the Bella vista district.

Tordesilhas, Rua Bela Cintra. 465. I had the duck here and it was very good. Another plus, it was walking distance from my hotel, about 6 blocks.

[QuackUp]

I went to a couple of restaurants in Buzios, but I really liked this one. It is called Cigalon, Rua das Pedras. 199. Right in the heart of centro Buzios.

I had the fillet of fish which I believe was grouper. It tasted so good I was tempted to go back the next day. Come to think of it, I should have because the restaurant I went to that day was just okay.

[Prosal]

Sao Paolo (10) and Rio (12) are now the most expensive cities in both North and South America.

Agree that these ratings aren't really 100% accurate and are done mainly for expatriates. That said, it includes costs of food, transport, entertainment, ect, and it does at least provide a general guideline.

http://www.mercer.ca/print.htm?indContentType=100&idContent=1420615&indBodyType=D&reference=&siteLanguage=1007

[RexG]

I just finished reading "A Dead Bat in Paraguay" by Roosh Vörek. It chronicles his six month journey through South America in search of sex. His story is a bit repetitive at times and mongers may not care for his attitude regarding p4p, but I found the book to be an entertaining read; especially, if you like travel writing. The last chapter and the (lengthy) epilogue focus on Rio. There's even a paragraph or two Help. The eBook version costs only U$S 2. 99.

[Exec Talent]

I do not want to take up space in the Rio Report Thread but I have a very serious question.

I have been to Búzios a couple times and was not impressed. The beaches are small and crowded. Restaurant prices not in line with the quality and even the best accommodations, not as good as elsewhere for a cheaper price. The dune buggies were fun and the downtown area quaint, but I still do not see the appeal, especially among Brazilians who seem to love it. You can PM me if you like.

Thanks!

[LuvnLatinas]

Can anyone tell me if a person can buy Durex condoms in Brazil? In particular Rio? I've looked on the Durex site but nothing listed for brazil or Argentina. I'm in Thailand right now and would like to know if I should be picking up more here before returning to Rio. TIA

[Jan 156]

Can anyone tell me if a person can buy Durex condoms in Brazil? In particular Rio? I've looked on the Durex site but nothing listed for brazil or Argentina. I'm in Thailand right now and would like to know if I should be picking up more here before returning to Rio. TIAI'm wondering if there is a glitch on the server. I've just been on another Section where an innocently titled post became a whole thread title. .

Durex isn't a commonly available brand in Brasil. Preserv Extra is a good quality condom and available in many stores.

[Eric Cartman]

Is there a glitch in the forum thread titles?

[LuvnLatinas]

I'm wondering if there is a glitch on the server. I've just been on another Section where an innocently titled post became a whole thread title. .

Durex isn't a commonly available brand in Brasil. Preserv Extra is a good quality condom and available in many stores.Thanks Chris. I'm going to stockup here. The ones I've been buying in Rio either strangle me or want to fall off LOL.

[Erectus Indicus]

I've see this happen, I clicked around in random countries sections but seems to be OK. How do you report this to Jackson? I wouldn't want to lose all the valuable info in the threads, without it how can we say RTFF.

[Poucolouco]

I've see this happen, I clicked around in random countries sections but seems to be OK. How do you report this to Jackson? I wouldn't want to lose all the valuable info in the threads, without it how can we say RTFF.Seems to be more widespread than you indicate. Bankok got split into two threads. Click on Report this post at the bottom of this message. Report it just like any other report to the Admin. Jackson will get to it.

http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showthread.php?2489-Letters-to-the-Editor&p=1281828&viewfull=1#post1281828

[Mangera]

It turns out that I left the battery charger for my Sony Camera back in the states. I headed over to Urugiana in Centro in search for the charger. I took my camera and battery and went to various locations explaining my situation. For quote I received was for 65R. Obviously, they knew I was a tourist because of my accent. However, I continued my search until I finally came upon an older gentlemen behind another counter, and he asked for 35R, I countered with 25R. Done deal. BTW, it was brandnew in the box. It works perfectly. Bottomline, don't be afraid to negotiate. If not, they will take advantage of you.

[Mangera]

I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Angra again this year. I was there a couple of years ago for an MPB Music Festival during a weekend. Ths time around was a bit more fun because I was fortunate enough to be invited by some Brazilian frineds that have a yacht in Porto Real. This made it easier to visit different beaches at our own pace. It was a blast. I highly suggest for those of you who have not visited to give it a shot. Np gdp's there, however, it is a beautiful location. It is much easier and comfortable to go visit now as compared to the past. Now, there is a new highway that makes it quicker and a smoother ride to and from. It took about 1:15 minutes driving from Guaratiba. BTW, there is also a new tunnel (Been open now for about 2 months) that makes the drive to Guaratiba much quicker and easier as well. 30 minutes away from Zona Sul without traffic.

[Exec Talent]

When I recently arrived in Rio, on the second (departure) floor where you catch regular taxis returning to Copa after drop-offs there is now a lout trying to get people to take higher priced cabs. I helped a couple groups get regular cabs, went up to the guy and asked him what he was doing here, gave him the dirtest look I could muster and was on my way. Wish I could have stayed there all day steering people to the cheaper taxis. BTW, one group was given a price of R$100 to Copa.

On leaving for Europe from GIG with my Brazilian GF we were approached by a lout (very attractive one) pressuring my GF to buy health insurance. She told her she would be stopped entering Europe and would have to buy it there. What actually happened is she showed her passport, they stamped it and we were on our way in about 10 seconds.

[HelpRules]

Sao Paolo (10) and Rio (12) are now the most expensive cities in both North and South America.

Agree that these ratings aren't really 100% accurate and are done mainly for expatriates. That said, it includes costs of food, transport, entertainment, ect, and it does at least provide a general guideline.

http://www.mercer.ca/print.htm?indContentType=100&idContent=1420615&indBodyType=D&reference=&siteLanguage=1007Looks like I am booking the first flight to Karachi, Pakistan. Who wants to come?

[Poucolouco]

The Federal Police voted to go on strike Tuesday, August 7. This can cause delays in clearing Immigration checks on arrival and departure at both airports also delays in customs screening as all officers on duty 'work to the rule', (I. E. Slow down.) For departures next week plan on long lines at Immigration for passport checks.